Open Your Mind
by Plague's Vengeance
Summary: "You are the strangest girl I've ever met." He snapped angrily, rubbing his face with his hands. She gave him a cheeky smile and rocked back on her heels, "I'm sure I'm the only girl you've met." The look he gave her could have burnt toast but just caused her to laugh lightly. "If it helps, you're the least strangest boy I've met." He didn't know how to respond to that. (Zuko/OC)
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

**AN: Yes, another story. I know, it's terrible, I've got over a dozen in progress stories that I should be working on but my sister loves Avatar: The Last Airbender and she made the puppy face. THE PUPPY FACE, I TELL YOU! I couldn't resist her puppy face, saying no is like looking at a kicked puppy. Sooo, I came up with this for her, because ya know, I'm an awesome older sister. No prologue in this one because I've decided they suck ass. Oh, Xiaodan (roughly pronounced shi ah oh d'ah n) and it means 'little dawn' in Chinese and yes, I know the whole double-element bending thing is so overdone but it was my sister's idea, so bear with me. Starts off before the first episode. Enjoy.**

* * *

"What are you doing, Xiaodan?" A wise, elderly male voice questioned in bemusement.

The white haired young girl yelped quietly, the flames that had been dancing around her fingers flickering out once her concentration was lost.

"Monk Gyatso!" The girl exclaimed, clasping her small hands and looking up at serene old man standing before her.

The monk smiled down at the young child, her molten orange eyes wide with innocence, "Practicing, child?"

Xiaodan smiled sweetly, "Of course Master."

The elderly monk's smile widened, "Would like to come meet your new charge?"

Molten orange eyes widened with excitement and she nodded her head rapidly, messy white hair flying every which way.

"Oh yes please!"

Gyatso held out a calloused hand for the four year old to take then he lead her back into the great temple the Southern Airbenders called their homes.

"Monk Gyatso?" Xiaodan spoke up suddenly as they walked through the temple, heading towards the nursery where all infant Airbenders stayed, "Will my charge be the new Avatar?"

Gyatso stroked his mustache with a free hand as they walked slowly, "It is possible, little one. It is possible."

Dark brows furrowed and Xiaodan bit her lip, looking up at him with large eyes, "What's his name?"

The monk smiled down at her softly as they came to a stop in front of an open arch way where a few priestesses that took care of the infant Airbenders, "His name is Aang, little one."

"Aang." The young girl repeated then smiled cutely, "I like it."

Just then one of the priestesses came walking towards them with a bundle in her arms. The priestess crouched down so that Xiaodan could get a better look at the squirming bundle in her arms. Gyatso kneeled beside the young girl, gently peeling the blanket away from the bundle and Xiaodan gave a quiet squeal.

"Xiaodan meet your charge, Aang." Gyatso said, his voice full of affection as he looked between his two charges.

The baby cooed and wiggled one chubby arm out of the restricting blanket, waving his hand in Xiaodan's direction. The four year old girl giggled and took the warm, tiny hand in her slightly bigger one.

"Hello there." Xiaodan cooed, stroking the back of Aang's hand with her thumb, "I'm Xiaodan. I'm going to be your big sister."

The baby gurgled, a toothless smile forming on his chubby face and Xiaodan giggled again then pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.

"He's perfect." She whispered then looked up at Gyatso, "I'll be the best big sister ever!"

The monk smiled and took her hand again as the priestess stood, moving away to put baby Aang back in his cradle.

"I know you will, little one." He said affectionately, brushing her jagged white bangs out of her eyes.

Xiaodan beamed up at him happily then looked back to where the Aang was sleeping peacefully in his cradle.

'_I swear I'll always protect you, little brother. Always.' _She thought to herself with a child's determination.

* * *

"Spirits! Slow down, Aang!" A fifteen year old Xiaodan yelled as she chased after the eleven year old boy.

Said boy laughed loudly as he raced away on his air scooter, "You'll never catch me Xia!"

A smirk quirked the teenage girl's lips and she leapt into the air, wiping her glider from her back and snapping it open. Xiaodan laughed as she flew towards Aang, rapidly gaining on him. At the last minute, Xiaodan snapped her glider shut and tackled her little brother off his air scooter.

"Gotcha!" She cried as she started tickling his sides.

"Ah!" Aang yelped, laughing as his sister tickled him, "I give up! You win, Xia!"

The older girl giggled and blew herself up into the air and landed on her feet, then held her hand out for the younger boy. Aang laughed happily, a wide grin on his face as he took his sister's tanned hand.

Xia smiled affectionately and rubbed his bald head with a calloused hand, "You did great, little brother. You'll have to teach me how the air scooter technique!"

He gave her a cheesy grin and opened his mouth to respond but Gyatso's wise voice called out to them, calling them in for their lessons. Xiaodan mock pouted before sending a grin at Aang.

"Race you!" She exclaimed before darting away using her airbending to run faster.

"No fair!" Aang called back with a laugh before chasing after her using his own airbending.

* * *

"Aang?" Xiaodan questioned quietly, peeking into his room, "Little brother?"

"What do you want, Xiaodan?"

The sixteen year old flinched slightly but slipped into the room quietly and hurried over to the younger boy when she saw the tears in his eyes, "Oh little brother."

Aang sniffled and wiped the tears from his eyes, accepting the warm hug from the girl that had always been there for him. Xiaodan held him to her, rubbing his back gently and resting her chin on the crown of his head.

"What happened little brother?" She asked softly, rubbing soothing circles on his back.

"They want to send me away to the Eastern Air Temple." He sobbed, "They want to take me away from Gyatso."

Xiaodan's lips pursed and she had to put effort into keeping her temper in check, tightening her arms around the young Airbender.

"I won't let them." She said firmly, "I swear on my life, I won't let them."

Aang sniffled and pulled away from the hug, looking the older girl in the eye, "I'm going to run away."

Xiaodan's orange eyes became huge, "What?!" she exclaimed, "Aang, you can't run away!"

The twelve year old remained silently resolute. They stared each other down for a few moments before Xiaodan sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but I'm coming with you."

Aang shook his head, "I couldn't ask you to do that, Xia."

The sixteen year old gave him a lopsided grin and winked, "Good think you aren't asking then, huh?"

Aang smiled widely then launched himself at the older girl, "Thank you, big sister." He whispered and Xiaodan smiled softly, patting his back gently.

"No problem, little brother." She said then pulled away, "I'll gather some supplies and you get Appa ready. We're going on an adventure!"

Aang grinned as he watched the girl that had been his older sister race out of the room and he quickly grabbed his glider then hopped out of the window, heading to where Appa was being kept.

* * *

"Aang!" Xiaodan screamed as the raging storm tossed her off of Appa's back and towards the thrashing water below.

"Xia!" Aang cried out, grabbing her hand as he hung off of Appa's head, "Don't let go!"

"I wasn't planning on it!" She yelled sarcastically as she held onto his hand for dear life.

They both screamed and Appa roared as they tumbled into the ocean below. Xiaodan gasped stupidly, sucking water into her mouth and lungs. Blackness was starting to encroach on her vision but she could still see Aang and Appa, so with the last of her strength, she used her Airbender to propel herself towards her little brother. She reached Appa, grabbing his reins and reached for Aang only to stare in awe as his eyes and tattoos began to glow , his fists connected and he sat in the Lotus position. Just as the blackness had completely covered her vision, Xiaodan watched a sphere of air encased her, Aang and Appa then everything went black.

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay, so as I said in the AN above, this is for my fourteen year old sister who is in love with Avatar: The Last Airbender and I'll admit, I love the show too so I decided to write this for both of us, but mostly her. She, unsurprisingly since we both tend to have things for bad boys, loves Zuko. So this is going to be a Zuko/OC story, obviously. I don't really have high expectations for this story, because it's really just for fun and my sister, but if people like in then that's awesome! Not really going to update all that often since, once again, this is really just for my sister's amusement.**

**Anyhooties, that's it for this author's note. Until the next chapter! **


	2. Chapter 2: The Airbenders in the Iceberg

**AN: Second chapter, now starts following the series with the first episode. Enjoy.**

* * *

"Sokka, look!" A young girl in a canoe called out excitedly as she waterbended a fish in a bubble of water.

"Shh, Katara," An older boy hissed as he stared into the water, his spear poised to strike, "You're gonna scare it away. Mmm, I can already smell it cooking."

"But Sokka, I caught one!" The girl persisted, gently swaying her hands as she guided the fish in the water bubble to the basket in the middle of the canoe.

Just as she was about to lower the fish into the basket, Sokka pulled his spear back and popped the water bubble allowing the fish to fly back into the water.

"Hey!" Katara protested as she watched the fish land back in the cold water.

Sokka turned to glare at his younger sister, soaked from the water bubble, "Why is it that every time you play with magic water, I get soaked?"

Katara sighed in irritation and crossed her arms, "It's not magic, it's waterbending. And it's-"

"Yeah, yeah," Sokka cut her off, gesturing with his hands, "An ancient art unique to our culture blah, blah, blah." He faced forward as he continued to speak, "Look, I'm just saying if I had weird powers, I would keep my weirdness to myself."

"You're calling me weird?" Katara retorted, arms still crossed with a slight smirk on her face, "I'm not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water."

Sokka, who had been doing just what his sister had said, pulled down the sleeve of his parka and turned to say something but was cut off when the canoe hit a small ice patch, which sent them into the rapids. Sokka tried to paddle out of the rapids while avoiding large chunks of floating ice that were coming at them.

"Watch out!" Katara cried as she clutched the sides of the canoe, "Go left, go left!"

Sokka tried to do what she said, but the canoe got stuck between two floating ice plateaus, crushing it just as the siblings jumped onto one. Katara skidded forward, stopping just before she went toppling into the freezing water. She stared at the water for a moment before scrabbling into the middle of ice plateau where Sokka was sitting next to his spear.

"You call that left?" She demanded drily and he looked away from her.

"You don't like my steering? Well maybe you should've waterbended us out of the ice." He retorted, mimicking the hand gestures Katara used when she waterbended.

Katara jumped to her feet, "So it's my fault?"

"I knew I should have left you home." Sokka stated sourly, resting his elbows on his bent knees, "Leave it to a girl to screw things up."

Katara scowled darkly at him before beginning to rant, "You are the most sexist, immature, nut brained-Gah! I'm embarrassed to be related to you!"

As she yelled at him, her arms flying wildly a loud cracking sound could be heard coming from the iceberg behind the siblings. Sokka made a face then the crack in the iceberg got his attention and his blue eyes widened.

"Ever since Mom died, I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier!" She hollered, throwing one arm out to the side and causing another crack to appear in the iceberg.

Sokka stared at the iceberg over his furious sister's shoulder worriedly, bringing his hands to cover his face as he tried to pacify Katara, "Ah Katara?"

But Katara ignored him, pointing a gloved finger in his face, "I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you NOT PLEASANT!"

She threw both arms behind and a third and crack split the iceberg, causing Sokka's eyes to widen even more.

"Katara settle down!" He cried desperately as he watched the iceberg fall apart.

"NO!" Katara yelled, "That's it, I'm done helping you! From now on you're on your OWN!"

At her shout, the glacier finally split with a loud crash and Katara turned with a gasp just a pieces of the iceberg fell into the water, sending up a large wave that sent the siblings' ice plateau up and away. As the waves died down, Sokka looked over at his sister.

"Okay, you've gone from weird to freakish, Katara." He said drily, taking his arm off her shoulder.

Katara stared at the place where the glacier used to be in surprise, "You mean, I did that?"

"Yup." Sokka said with a sarcastic smirk, "Congratulations."

The siblings were distracted when the water in front of them began to glow and bubble. They recoiled and jumped to their feet, backing away from the ice plateau's edge with gasps of confusion and fear. Sokka and Katara stared in awe and wariness as another lighter and somewhat spherical glacier broke the surface of the water with a slight crash. Katara took a few steps forward, staring at the floating incandescent iceberg, not realizing that Sokka had reached out to stop her.

There were two people and some kind of creature inside the pale blue glacier; one a young boy with glowing arrow tattoos on his hands and forehead was sitting cross-legged with his fists touching while a girl was curled up in a slightly ball behind the boy, near the creature's head. Katara cocked an eyebrow as she stared only to gasp with Sokka when the boy's eyes opened and they were glowing the same color as the arrows.

"He's alive!" Katara said excitedly, then grabbed Sokka's club from his back and yanked up her hood as she raced towards the glacier, hopping from ice plateau to ice plateau until she reached it.

"Katara! Get back here!" he brother objected and grabbed his spear as he raced after the young girl, "We don't know what that thing is!"

Katara ignored him and started to hit the glacier with the rounded end of the club, grunting with effort while Sokka stood a little bit behind her.

"Ah!" she squealed when she broke the ice and a gust of air blew out, sending her straight into her brother and knocking them onto their backsides.

They watched as a crack split the spherical glacier before the top exploded and a bright beam of white light shot into the air, causing a nearby herd of Tiger-seals to rear up and roar at the sky.

* * *

Cold. That was the first thing Xiaodan became aware of as it soaked into her backside. The next was the sound of voices and that caused her eyes to flutter open. With a groan the young girl snapped her eyes shut when they were assaulted by the sun.

"Will you go penguin sledding with me?"

'_Aang?' _Xiaodan thought before she jerked herself upright, coming face to nose with Appa.

Appa snored loudly, blowing hot air against the teenage girl's face. The sound of someone scrambling drew Xiaodan's attention away from the sleeping sky bison on her legs and she threw her arms in the air happily when she saw her charge leap onto Appa's face.

"Aang!" She cried, "You're alive!"

"Xia!" The bald boy yelped and let go of Appa's head, dropping down beside her, "Are you okay?"

Xiaodan gave him a cheeky smile, "I'm fine! But can you help me get this big dope's head off my legs? They're starting to go numb."

Aang grinned at her broadly and started trying to lift Appa's head by standing with his back to his face and pulling on his upper lip. Xiaodan noticed a girl and a boy appear around the mound of snow just as Appa woke up and opened his mouth, licking Aang right off his feet.

"Yes!" Xiaodan cheered and used a gust of air to bring herself to her feet, "Freedom!"

Aang laughed as he landed on his feet and hugged Appa's face, "You're okay!"

The flying bison made a grumbling noise as he stood and Xiaodan grinned at the stunned looks on the other two teens faces.

"What is that thing?" The boy demanded as he and the girl came closer, warily looking between Aang, Xiaodan, and Appa.

"This is Appa." Xiaodan said helpfully with a happy grin on her tanned face as she rocked back on her heels.

"He's my flying bison." Aang added, rubbing Appa's nose affectionately.

"Right." The boy said disbelievingly, gesturing to the girl at his side with his thumb, "And this is Katara, my flying sister."

Xiaodan giggled at the look the girl, Katara, gave the boy. Suddenly, Appa began to make a growling sound and his lip twitched. Aang and Xiaodan exchanged looks and ducked just as the flying bison sneezed, spraying the other boy with gooey, green snot.

"Eeeww! Aaahhggg!" The boy yelled, rubbing himself against the snow to get rid of the snot.

Xiaodan giggled maniacally, clutching her stomach while Aang just smile innocently as he petted Appa's nose.

"Don't worry," the young boy said, "It'll wash out."

The boy touched the snot on his face and pulled his hand away, making disgusted noises as it stretched but remained stuck to his face.

Xiaodan rocked back on her heels as she asked, "So do you guys live around here?"

She blinked when the boy was suddenly crouched in front of her and Aang with his spear pointed at them.

"Don't answer that!" He snapped, "Did you see that crazy bolt of light? They were probably trying to signal the Fire Navy."

Xiaodan furrowed her brow in confusion and Aang held his hands up in submission as the girl stepped around her brother.

"Oh yeah," She drawled sarcastically and shoving her brother back slightly, "I'm sure they're spies for the Fire Navy. You can tell by that evil look in their eyes."

Xiaodan and Aang looked at the boy with wide, innocent eyes and wide smiles.

"The paranoid one is my brother, Sokka." The girl gestured to the boy as she introduced him before looking back at Aang, "You never told us your name."

"I'm A-ahh-ahh." Aang started and Xiaodan took a few steps back just before he sneezed and flew up into the air, "ACHOO!"

Xiaodan laughed as he came sliding down and skidded to a stop in front of the siblings beside her, his arms pin-wheeling to keep his balance.

"I'm Aang." He said as if nothing had happened then he gestured to Xiaodan, "This Xiaodan, she's like my sister."

"Hi!" She greeted with a cheerful wave, "You can call me, Xia."

The siblings stared at them in disbelief,

"You just sneezed and flew ten feet in the air." Sokka stated, sounding stunned as he pointed a finger in the air.

Xiaodan tilted her head back curiously, "Huh, I thought it was higher."

Aang looked too, "It felt higher than that."

Suddenly Katara gasped in realization, "You're an Airbender!"

Xiaodan clapped with a bright smile and Aang nodded.

"Sure am." He said and gestured to himself then Xiaodan, "Both of us are."

"Giant light beams, flying bison, Airbenders," Sokka said in bemusement as he turned and started walking away, "I think I've got Midnight Sun Madness. I'm going home where everything makes sense."

Xiaodan blinked in confusion, "Midnight Sun Madness?"

She shook her head and used a gust of air to launch herself onto Appa's back, not noticing how Sokka was staring out at the endless sea of water that was basically trapping them on the ice plateau that used to be the glacier.

"Well if you guys are stuck, Appa, Xia, and I can give you a lift." Aang offered before executing a spinning jump that carried him onto the bridge of Appa's nose, then jumped again so that he was sitting on top of the sky bison's head.

"We'd love a ride!" Katara said excitedly, "Thanks!

Xiaodan jumped from the saddle, taking Aang's place on Appa's head when the young boy went to help Katara onto Appa's back.

Sokka turned to face them, "Oh no, I am not getting on that fluffy snot monster."

Xiaodan gave him an amused look as she picked up the reins, "Really? Are you hoping some other monster is going to give you a ride home?"

"Yeah," Katara agreed as she stood beside Aang in the saddle, "You know, before you freeze to death."

Sokka opened his mouth to retort then sighed in resignation when he realized that the girls were right.

* * *

Xiaodan clapped her hands as she sat facing the Water Tribe siblings in the saddle while Aang took up Appa's reins.

"Okay, first time fliers. Hold on tight!" She exclaimed giddily, eager to be back in the sky.

Aang grinned at her before snapping the reins lightly, "Appa, yip yip!"

Appa gave a groaning roar and lifted his tail as he leapt into the air, spreading his six legs out just before he belly-flopped into the water. Xiaodan moved away as Katara crawled forward to stare at Aang curiously.

"Come on, Appa, yip yip." Aang said encouragingly, snapping the reins again but Appa continued swimming.

"Wow," Sokka said sarcastically, leaning back with his arms folded over his chest, "That was truly amazing."

Xiaodan stuck her tongue out at him while Katara turned to glare and Aang just smiled good naturedly.

"Appa's just tired." The young boy explained, "A little rest and he'll be soaring through the sky. You'll see."

Xiaodan giggled at the ridiculous look on Aang's face as he stared at Katara. The girl gave him a weird look.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" She questioned.

"O-oh," Aang stuttered, his smile disappearing, "I was smiling?"

Sokka made a disgusted noise and Xiaodan smiled at her little brother.

'_Silly Aang.'_ She thought, her smile widening as they headed towards the siblings home.

* * *

Xiaodan curled up and dozed in Appa's saddle, listening to the soothing sounds of the water as the sky bison swam and the not so soothing sounds of Sokka snoring. She noticed Katara crawl over to the front of the saddle, leaning against it so that she could talk to Aang who was lying on Appa's head.

"Hey." The Water Tribe girl said quietly.

"Hey." Aang replied with a soft smile, "Watcha thinking about?"

Xiaodan smiled slightly but tensed at Katara's next words.

"I guess I was wondering, you being an Airbender and all, if you had any idea what happened to the Avatar."

"Uh, no." Aang said uncertainly and Xiaodan winced slightly, "I didn't know him. I mean I knew people that knew him, but I didn't. Sorry."

"Okay, just curious." Katara said, sounding slightly disappointed before she smiled slightly, "Goodnight."

"Sleep tight."

Xiaodan waited a moment before crawling over to the spot Katara had just vacated then using her airbending to land beside the nervous looking young boy.

"Don't worry, little brother." She whispered, wrapped her arm around his shoulders and resting her chin on the top of his bald head, "Everything will be fine."

"Thanks, Xia." He muttered, leaning against her.

The rest of the journey passed in silence as Xiaodan stayed up and Aang fell asleep beside her.

* * *

"Aang. Aang, wake up!" Xiaodan said as she pulled the young boy out of his nightmare, "It's okay. We're in the village now."

Just then Katara appeared, "Come on you two, get ready. Everyone's waiting to meet you." The young girl said excitedly.

Xiaodan's lips twitched as she stared at Katara's awed expression as she took in Aang's Airbending tattoos. The pale haired teen shook her head and slipped past the stunned Water Tribe girl and jogged out of the tent, Aang and Katara appearing a few moments later.

Katara grabbed Xiaodan's hand with her free one and dragged the two Airbenders towards a small crowd of women and children.

"Aang, Xia, this is the entire village." Katara introduced, letting go of Xiaodan's hand to gesture towards the small group, "Entire village this is Aang and Xia."

Both Xiaodan and Aang bowed slightly, holding their gliders in front of them. Xiaodan frowned slightly when they flinched back and Aang looked a little uncomfortable.

"Uh, why are they all looking at us like that?" Aang asked Katara before looking himself over, "Did Appa sneeze on me or Xia?"

Just then an elderly lady stepped forward.

"Well no one has seen an Airbender in a hundred years." She stated matter-of-factly much to Aang and Xiaodan's confusion, "We thought they were extinct, until my granddaughter and grandson found you two."

Xiaodan's eyes became wide and Aang looked worried and crestfallen.

"Extinct?" He repeated quietly.

"Aang, this is my grandmother." Katara said, gesturing towards the old lady with her hands.

"Call me Gran-Gran." The elderly lady said calmly.

Xiaodan smiled slightly at her flat tones, as if nothing could impress her. Just then Sokka came over and snatched her glider from her hands.

"What is this, a weapon?" He demanded, looking the glider over, "You can't stab anything with this."

Xiaodan rolled her eyes and snatched it back with a small jet of wind, "It's not for stabbing."

"It's for Airbending." Aang finished, as they both used a little airbending to open the gliders.

"Ah!" Sokka yelped and flinched away as the blue wings of Xiaodan's glider snapped open along with the orange wings of Aang's glider.

The children laughed and one little girl called out, "Magic trick. Do it again!"

Aang smiled, "Not magic, airbending. It lets Xia and I control the air currents around our gliders so that we can fly."

Sokka crossed his arms, "You know, last time I checked, humans can't fly." He said cynically.

"Check again." Xiaodan and Aang stated together with wide grins as they jumped into the air, position themselves on the necks of their individual gliders.

They began flying around the village, Aang doing little tricks to show off for Katara while Xiaodan laughed before she landed next to Sokka just as Aang crashed into a tower of snow. Katara ran over, pulling Aang to his feet as Xiaodan followed at a more languid pace, twirling her glider in her hands.

Sokka gave a mortified gasp and he rushed over to the fallen tower, "My watch tower!"

"That was amazing." Katara complimented as she smiled at the two Airbenders.

Xiaodan giggled as a pile of snow fell on Sokka and he stared at Katara, Xiaodan and Aang.

"Great." He muttered as he pulled himself out of the pile of snow, "You two are Airbenders, Katara's a Waterbender, together you can just waste time all day long."

"You're a Waterbender?" Aang asked Katara eagerly, leaning against his glider.

"Well, sort of." Katara answered a little shyly, "Not yet."

Xiaodan cocked a brow at that curious and was about to ask what she meant when Gran-Gran spoke up.

"Alright, no more playing." The elderly woman stated, holding her hand out for Katara, "Come on, Katara you have chores."

Xiaodan giggled and nudged Aang in the side as he stared after the young Waterbender.

"You like her." She cooed teasingly as only a big sister could.

Aang blushed furiously, "She's just nice."

The older girl snickered, "Uh huh, sure."

Aang stuck his tongue at her before they were surrounded by the children and he grinned, sticking his tongue on his staff.

"Look, now my tongue is stuck on my staff."

Xiaodan laughed loudly when one of the younger children grabbed the staff and yanked, pulling Aang's tongue and causing the other children to clap and laugh happily. The young woman smiled and twirled her staff around once before setting off to find Sokka, she was curious about what his grandmother had said about Airbenders being extinct.

* * *

"Now men, it's important that you show no fear when you face a Firebender. In the Water Tribe we fight until the last man standing. For without courage, how can we call ourselves men?"

"Hey, Sokka," She greeted, stifling a giggle when he yelped as she snuck up on him talking to a few of the young boys of the tribe.

"Don't do that!" He cried as she spun around, "Gah, can't you see we're training?"

Xiaodan looked around him at the bored looking boys behind him, "Training?"

Just then one of the boys raised his hand, "I gotta pee!"

Sokka spun around, "Listen, until your fathers return from the war, they're counting on you to be the men of this tribe!" he said gesturing to the little boys as Xiaodan watched curiously, "And that means no potty breaks!"

"But I really gotta go!"

Xiaodan giggled and moved so she was standing beside Sokka now, "Who else has to go?"

All the hands shot up and Sokka smacked his forehead while Xiaodan giggled some more as the boys walked towards the latrines.

"Have you two seen Aang?" Katara questioned as she walked up to the two older teens, "Gran-Gran said he disappeared over an hour ago."

Xiaodan snickered, "He's probably checking to see if his p-"

Aang exited the latrine area just as Xiaodan was speaking, adjusting his pants.

"Wow, everything freezes in there." He said, much to the delight of the young boys, who started laughing and cheering.

"Ugh!" Sokka grunted and pointed towards Aang, "Katara, get him out of here. This lesson is for warriors only."

Xiaodan watched amusedly as Sokka turned away only to turn back around when the children started laughing. She giggled when she saw them sliding down Appa's tail and into a pile of snow, looking as if they were having the time of their lives. Katara giggled along with her as Sokka stormed over there. Katara and Xiaodan exchanged amused glances before following after her brother.

"Stop! Stop it right now!" The young man cried out as he walked over to Appa, "What's wrong with you? We don't have time for fun and games with the war going on."

Xiaodan's brow furrowed in confusion just as Aang jumped off of Appa's back.

"What war?" The younger Airbender questioned as he landed beside the Water Tribe boy, "What are you talking about?"

"You're kidding right?" Sokka asked, looking at the two confused Air Nomads skeptically.

Aang was about to answer but he was distracted by the sudden appearance of a penguin.

"PENGUIN!" He yelled and ran after the creature at top speed, Xiaodan, Katara and Sokka looking after him.

Sokka looked at Katara and Xiaodan, "He's kidding right?"

Katara gave him a look before heading after Aang and Xiaodan looked at Sokka inquiringly.

"What did you mean?" She asked, "What war?"

Sokka turned to look at her confusedly, "You really don't know?"

Xiaodan frowned, "Obviously not, please explain."

"How long were in that iceberg?"

The girl shrugged, "I don't a few days, maybe?"

Sokka frowned, "Come with me."

Xiaodan followed in to where his grandmother was and between the two of them, they explained everything that had happened since the Avatar had disappeared a hundred years ago.

* * *

**Author's Note: Second chapter of the Zuko/OC story. Next chapter will still be set during episode 2 of Book 1. Hope everyone liked it. My sister thought it was cute.**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted. You rock!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Dark chocolate thunda: Thanks! I hope you like this chapter!**

**Lifeofpie2: I'm glad you like it so far! I hope you like this chapter too!**

**Anonymous (Guest): Erm, now? Hope you like it.**

**Spiderninjapirate22: Thanks! Hope you like this chapter!**


	3. Edited Chapter 3: The Avatar Returns

**AN: Continues where the first chapter left off. Zuko is in this chapter. Enjoy**

* * *

Xiaodan stared at Sokka and Gran-Gran in horror, her molten orange eyes wide with disbelief.

"But-but that's not possible." She said, shaking her head in denial, "How? _**Why**_?"

Gran-Gran shrugged, a sad look on her wrinkled face, "We don't know, child. "

Just then a flare suddenly exploded into the sky, grabbing Xiaodan, Sokka, and Gran-Gran's attention.

"What was that?" Xiaodan asked, a sense of foreboding filling her.

"That was the flare from the Fire Nation ship!" Sokka exclaimed as he surged to his feet and raced towards the entrance of the village with the rest of the tribe and Xiaodan following him.

Xiaodan bit her lip, clutching her staff tightly in her hand as she watched Aang and Katara walk towards the tribe from her spot beside Appa. The children cheered and ran forward, surrounding him excitedly as the Gran-Gran watched impassively.

"I knew!" Sokka said harshly as he pushed his way to the front of the tribe, "You signaled the Fire Navy with that flare!"

Katara and Aang walked closer with the children still surrounding them and Xiaodan shifted from foot to foot nervously before moving to stand beside her little brother.

"You leading them straight to us aren't you?" Sokka accused angrily and Xiaodan gave him a hurt look, unable to believe he would accuse them of such a thing.

"Aang didn't do anything." Katara said defensively as she stared her brother in the eye, "It was an accident."

"Yeah," Aang agreed, "We were on the ship and there was this booby trap and, well, we boobied right into it."

"Katara, you shouldn't have gone on that ship." Gran-Gran scolded with a disappointed shake of her head, "Now we could all be in danger."

This time Aang jumped to defend the girl, "Don't blame Katara, I brought her there. It's my fault."

Xiaodan placed a hand gently on his shoulder, not liking the ashamed look on her little brother's face.

"Ah ha!" Sokka snapped, pointing at Aang and Xiaodan, "The traitor confesses. Warriors away from the enemy. The foreigners are banished from our village."

Xiaodan looked at him in disbelief and a little hurt, she couldn't believe he what he was doing. Apparently, neither could his sister.

"Sokka, you're making a mistake." Katara snapped.

"No," Sokka denied instantly, pointing at himself with his thumb, "I'm keeping my promise to Dad. I'm protecting you from threats like him."

"Aang is not our enemy!" Katara protested while Aang just stood there quietly staring at the tribe with Xiaodan's hand on his shoulder.

"Don't you see?" The Water Tribe girl pleaded, "Aang and Xiaodan brought us something we haven't had in a long time. Fun."

"Fun?" Sokka demanded in disbelief, "We can't fight Firebenders with fun!"

"You should try it sometime." Aang said naively and Xiaodan nearly smacked herself in the forehead.

"Get out of our village, both of you." Sokka snapped, "Now!"

Xiaodan made a noise and shifted towards Appa, her hand moving to fist the material of Aang's shirt.

"Grandmother, please," Katara begged, trying to appeal to her grandmother, "Don't let Sokka do this."

"Katara, you knew going on that ship was forbidden." The elder said firmly, "Sokka is right. I think it best if the Airbenders leave."

"Fine!" Katara snapped, placing a hand on her chest, "Then I'm being banished too! Come on, Aang, Xia, let's go."

The Waterbender grabbed both Aang and Xiaodan's arms and pulled them towards a waiting Appa.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sokka demanded from behind them.

"To find a Waterbender." Katara yelled over her shoulder, "Aang is taking me to the North Pole."

"I am?" Aang questioned at the same time Xiaodan asked, "He is?"

"Great." The Airbenders said together then the three paused when Sokka called his sister's name.

"Katara!" He yelled, "Would you really choose him over your tribe? Your own family?"

Xiaodan slipped past Katara, deciding to let Aang handle that one as she used a gust of air to jump into Appa's saddle. She watched as Aang approached Katara, a feeling of sadness spreading through her.

"Katara," Aang said softly, "I don't want to come between you and your family."

Xiaodan's lips pursed and she felt tears build up behind her eyes at the crestfallen look on the young Water Tribe girl's face.

"So you're leaving the South Pole?" Katara questioned, her face falling even more, "This is goodbye?"

Aang turned to face her and smiled, "Thanks for penguin sledding with me."

"Where will you go?"

Aang placed a hand on Appa's side, "Guess Xia and I will go back home and look for the Airbenders." A strange look came across his face, "Wow, I haven't cleaned my room in a hundred years."

Xiaodan gave a watery laugh, "Not looking forward to that."

He grinned and jumped onto Appa's head, taking the reins, "It was nice meeting everyone."

Xiaodan nodded, "Bye."

"Let's see your bison fly now, Airboy." Sokka sneered.

Aang smiled and spoke encouragingly to Appa, "Come on Appa, you can do it. Yip, yip."

Appa grumbled and got to his feet but that was it.

"Yeah, I thought so!" Sokka shouted triumphantly just as a little girl went running towards Appa with tears streaming down her face.

"Aang, Xia don't go!" She cried as she came to a stop beside Katara, "I'll miss you."

"We'll miss you too." The two Airbenders chorused and Aang and Katara shared a sad look.

Aang looked away first and gently snapped the reins, "Come on, boy."

Xiaodan looked down at her lap sadly, vaguely hearing Katara's shout but unable to make out the words as Appa walked farther away from the Southern Water Tribe.

* * *

Xiaodan amused herself by creating spheres of air on her fingers as she laid on Appa's belly in while Aang sat above them. Appa yawned suddenly and Aang sighed.

"Yeah, I liked her too." He muttered despondently and Xiaodan frowned ready to jump up there and comfort him when the sound a horn distracted her.

"Spirits." She muttered in disbelief when she saw the large metal ship sailing towards the Water Tribe village.

"The village!" Aang gasped following her gaze, "We have to help them!"

Xiaodan leapt of Appa's belly just as Aang came sliding down the ice formation they had been resting in.

"Appa, wait here." The younger Airbender said before rushing towards a flock of penguins, Xiaodan right behind him.

She snapped open her glider as she looked at him, "I'll go ahead."

Aang nodded as he chased after a penguin and Xiaodan leapt into the air, flying as fast as she could towards the village.

* * *

"You idiot!" Xiaodan yelled when she saw Sokka standing on what was left of the wall in front of the great metal monster.

The female Airbender propelled herself faster, watching with trepidation as a ramp fell and several figures exited the ship. She forced herself to go faster when Sokka—the idiot—attacked and one of the figures kicked him off the ramp. The figure that had kicked Sokka, grabbed Gran-Gran and though Xiaodan knew he was speaking, she couldn't hear what he was saying but she certain got the message when he kicked fire above the villagers' heads after shove Gran-Gran back at them.

Sokka gave a battle cry as he ran towards the man again, picking up his club as he charged. The man ducked and the Water Tribe boy flew over the man's head, landing on his backside and dropping his club.

"Ah!" Sokka screamed and rolled out of the way as the man sent a blast of fire at him.

Sokka threw his boomerang at the man but the man dodged, looking over his shoulder to watch the boomerang fly away then turned to look back at the Water Tribe villagers. Xiaodan was almost there when one of the young village boys threw Sokka's spear over to him then Sokka charged at the man, only to have his spear snapped multiple times before the man took what was left of the spear and hit Sokka in the head with it. Xiaodan couldn't help but laugh when she saw the boomerang come back around and smack the man's helmeted head. Her laughter cut off when the fire daggers appeared in the young man's hand.

"Hey!" Xiaodan yelled as she snapped her glider shut and landed in front of Sokka who was still one the ground, "Looking for someone in particular?"

"You're the Avatar?" The man demanded in disbelief, looking the pale-haired teen girl up and down.

Xiaodan gave him a cheeky look, "Maybe."

And then the man was knocked off his feet by none other than Aang penguin sledding. Xiaodan gave a whoop of laughter when the man flew into the air then landed on his face, his helmet falling on his backside. The village kids cheered as Aang came riding towards them, throwing snow over their heads. The penguin Aang was riding bucked him off and Xiaodan giggled, twirling her glider idly as she watched the Firebenders.

"Hey, Katara, hey Sokka." The bald boy greeted, crossing his legs and holding his glider in his lap.

"Hey Aang, Xia." Sokka muttered, "Thanks for coming."

"You're welcome." Xiaodan chirped with a grin that was quickly wiped off her face when the man that Aang had knocked over stood.

The man gestured and the six armored guards that were with him lifted their weapons or took a firebending stance, surrounding Aang and Xiaodan while their leader stood in front of the two Airbenders. Xiaodan sent a gust of air to either side of her, which sent snow all over the six guards while Aang slammed his glider down in front of him, sending snow all over the man in charge.

"Looking for me?" Aang asked after straightening, holding his head high.

"You're the Airbender?" The man demanded, the snow on his body beginning to turn to steam, "You're the Avatar."

"Wouldn't you like to know." Xiaodan drawled as she moved over to stand beside her little brother.

The man glared at the both of them but Xiaodan just gave him a cheeky smile, shifting her grip on her glider.

"No way." Sokka muttered, looking between the two Airbenders in shock.

The man and Aang began to circle each other, while Xiaodan kept an eye on the six guards.

"I've spent years preparing for this encounter." The man said as he and Aang circled, "Training, meditating. You're just a child!"

"Well, you're just a teenager." Aang said, stopping to give the man befuddled look, "You can't be any older than Xia."

Xiaodan laughed, pulling the man's attention to her. The man narrowed his eyes at her, taking in the long white hair, molten orange eyes, tanned skin and strange tattoos on her face. Xiaodan's eyes widened when the man suddenly sent a blast of fire at her.

"Ah!" She yelped, spinning her glider to deflect the flames as the man continued to send fire-blasts at her.

"Xia!" Aang shouted, moving to help her only for the man to send a blast of fire at him, causing him to twirl his own glider to keep the flames at bay.

The villagers cried out in fear since Aang was standing in front of them and the fire arced over their heads. Xia saw the look on Aang's face when he glanced at the villagers over his shoulders and she knew what he was going to do. Aang glanced over at her and she nodded, silently telling him that she had his back.

"If I go with you will you promise to leave everyone alone?" The bald boy asked, standing in front of Xiaodan and the Water Tribe villagers.

The man's eyes narrowed and he looked between Aang and Xiaodan, clearly uncertain which one was the Avatar. He contemplated for another moment then straightened from his stance and nodded, signaling for two of his guards to grab the boy.

"No, Aang!" Katara cried out, stumbling forward to stand beside Xiaodan, "Don't do this!"

Aang smiled over his shoulder as the Fire Nation soldiers lead him up the ramp.

"Don't worry, Katara. It'll be okay." The bald boy reassured, "Take care of Appa and Xia for me until I get back!"

Aang looked at Xiaodan, silently communicating with each other. The white-haired Airbender nodded once and swinging her glider onto her back.

"Set a course for the Fire Nation." The man said as he entered the ship, "I'm heading home."

Xiaodan, Katara, Sokka, and the rest of the villagers watched as the ramp rose up, trapping Aang inside the ship with the Fire Nation soldiers. The last thing they saw was the reassuring smile the bald boy sent Katara.

* * *

"We have to go after that ship, Sokka." Katara said passionately as she stared out at the ocean, "Aang saved our tribe, now we have to save him."

"Katara, I-" Sokka started to say but his sister cut him off.

"Why can't you just realize that he and Xia are on our side?" The Waterbender demanded, gesturing wildly with her arms, "If we don't help him, no one will! I know you don't like Aang, but we owe him!"

"Katara!" Sokka yelled, cutting his sister off this time, "Are you gonna talk all day or are you coming with me?"

Katara's eyes widened slightly as she looked at the canoe Sokka was pointing at. A big happy grin spread across the girl's face and she ran towards her brother.

"Sokka!" She cried out, throwing her arms around her brother's neck in a hug.

"Get in." Sokka said with a grin, pointing at the canoe again, "We're going to save your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend." Katara snapped, instantly irritated with her brother.

"Whatever." Sokka said with a shrug.

"What are you two doing?"

The Water Tribe siblings jumped and spun around to face their grandmother with innocent expressions on their faces. Gran-Gran smiled at her grandchildren, feeling proud that they would go and save the Airbender boy, especially since the Airbender girl had disappeared shortly after the Fire Nation ship sailed away.

"You'll need these." Gran-gran said, holding out a sleeping roll filled with supplies, "You have a long journey ahead of you."

The siblings looked at each other with surprised expressions the looked back at their grandmother when she stepped closer to them, holding out the roll.

"It's been so long since I had hope," the old woman said softly as she hugged her granddaughter, "But you brought it back to life, my little Waterbender."

Gran-Gran handed the bedroll to Katara then turned to her grandson.

"And you my brave warrior," Gran-gran said, pulling Sokka into a hug, "Be nice to your sister."

"Yeah, okay, Gran-Gran." Sokka groaned in exasperation as he patted his grandmother's back.

Gran-Gran pulled away and looked at her two grandchildren seriously, "Aang is the Avatar. He's the world's only chance, you both found him for a reason. Now your destinies are intertwined with his."

Katara and Sokka looked at each other then Katara turned to gesture at the canoe.

"There is no way we're going to catch a warship with a canoe." She stated drily.

"I think I can help with that."

Sokka, Katara, and Gran-Gran turned and stared in surprised amazement as Appa stopped on a small hill of snow on the opposite side of the crack between the ice where the canoe was floating. Xiaodan flashed them a smile from her seat on the sky bison's head, the reins in hand.

"Xia! Appa!" Katara exclaimed excitedly as she looked at the Airbender and sky bison.

"What?" She drawled as she took in their expressions, "Did you really think I'd let that uppity jerk kidnap my little brother?"

"Well…" Sokka trailed off and the Airbender rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to ignore that." Xiaodan muttered, "Now get on, we've got an Avatar to save!"

Sokka and Katara exchanged stunned looks then quickly hugged their grandmother one last time before using the canoe to get to the other side of the crack in the ice.

"You just love taking me out of my comfort zone, don't you?" Sokka muttered drily as he followed his sister over to the sky bison where Katara was already sitting in the saddle.

Xiaodan laughed and glanced over her shoulder at the siblings, "Yup, now hang on tight first time fliers. Appa, yip-yip!"

The sky bison grumbled then slapped his tail on the icy ground and launched into the air. Xiaodan laughed loudly when she heard Sokka scream like a girl.

* * *

Aang watched the teenage boy—he really didn't look any older than Xia—as he looked over his glider. His hands had been bound behind his back almost immediately after the warship had started sailing away from the village then the young Avatar had been brought up to the top deck of the ship.

"This staff will make an excellent gift for my father." The teenager stated, lifting the glider up and continuing to look it over, then he looked over at Aang with a condescending expression on his scarred face, "I suppose you wouldn't know of fathers, being raised by monks."

Aang frowned at the young man, feeling slightly insulted. After all Monk Gyatso had been a father to both him and Xiaodan, not that the older boy knew that. So Aang remained silent as he stared up at the scarred teen.

"Take the Avatar to the prison hold." The teenager order and two of his soldiers grabbed Aang by his arms and lead him away.

"And take this to my quarters." The teen demanded, thrusting the staff into the hands of the old man by his side then turned and walked away.

"Hey, you mind taking this to his quarters for me?" The old man asked rhetorically as he passed the staff to the soldier standing next to him and following after the young man.

* * *

Aang watched the teen, the old man, and the soldier with his glider walk into the cabin area of the ship before the two Fire Nation soldiers shoved him down the entrance to the prison hold in the bowels of the ship.

"Sooo," Aang drawled, mimicking Xiaodan's sometimes snarky attitude as he and the guards walked down the metal hall, "I guess you've never fought an Airbender before, I bet I can take you both with my hands tied behind my back."

"Silence." The guard in front of Aang barked, stopping at the metal door at the end of the hall, lifting the metal key in his hand.

Aang scrunched up his nose for a second then took a deep breath, blowing it out as soon as the guard in front of him had stuck the key in the door's lock. The strong gust of air caused the guard to slam into the door while Aang slammed into the guard behind him, sending them both flying down the hall. The guard hit the stairs and Aang jumped upwards, using his prone body and a small gust of air to propel him back onto the top deck of the ship.

The young Airbender rushed towards the door that lead to the cabin area, jumping and kicking a ball of air at the door, then running through the now broken door. Panting slightly, Aang glanced behind him as he ran down the corridor in search of his glider.

"Aah!" Aang yelped when he turned a corner and saw three Fire Nation soldiers with swords standing in front of him.

"You haven't seen my staff around, have you?" Aang asked, quirking an eyebrow as he looked up at the guards.

The guards merely lifted their swords and Aang frowned slightly, then used his Airbending to run up the wall, across the ceiling, under the second guard's legs, up the wall and ceiling again before landing on the floor and continuing to run down the hall.

"Thanks anyway!" Aang called out over his shoulder as he rushed down the corridor.

The young Airbender leapt up to the next level and pursed his lips in determination when he saw one of the masked Firebenders standing in his way. Giving himself a running start, Aang leapt into the air, somersaulting over the stream of flames the Firebender had sent at him and cut the rope binding his hands on the soldier's spiked helmet, which also caused the soldier to fall backwards with a thud.

Hands now free, Aang began open the doors in the new hallway he found himself in, still searching for his missing glider.

"Sorry." Aang whispered and quietly closed the door he had just opened when he saw the old man from before snoring away in the room.

Aang darted down the hall, glancing into an open door briefly before skidding to a stop and hurrying back to the room when he saw his glider resting against the wall opposite the door.

"My staff!" The bald boy exclaimed, running into the room only to whirl around when the metal door slammed shut behind him.

"Looks like I underestimated you." The scarred teen growled, his hand still on the now shut door.

Aang turned around to face the glaring teen, his gray eyes widening when he moved into a Firebending stance then hurled a ball of flames at the young Airbender.

"Aah!" Aang yelped, practically dancing around the metal room as the older boy continued to send fireballs at him.

Trapped in a corner, Aang panted as he looked at the Firebender with wide eyes just as another fireball was hurled at him, Aang rolled to the side, past a red and black tapestry then he somersaulted under the angry teenager's legs. The Airbender danced around the Firebender, making sure to stay behind him as fire was thrown at him.

Using his Airbending, Aang kept blowing out the scarred young man's fire as he tried to punch him. Seeing an opening, Aang ran up the older boy's chest, flipped over his next attack, and created his air scooter which he used to run around the room and away from the fire being sent his way.

Aang cried out when the older teen managed to knock him off his scooter and into the wall, but Aang used his hands to propel him upward, under and over a tapestry. The bald boy grabbed the top of the tapestry as he flipped onto his feet and wrapped it around the scarred teen, trapping his arms at his sides.

Aang grabbed his staff and whirled around just as the angry teen shredded the tapestry with Firebending, causing Aang to wince slightly. The bald boy used his glider to send a gust of air to lift the sleeping mat off the floor and fling at the teen, sending him into the metal wall before the other boy could send another volley of fire his way. The scarred teen groaned and fell onto the mat and Aang used another gust of air to lift the mat and slam the teenager into the ceiling then Aang ran out of the room, staff in hand.

* * *

Aang ran up to the top of the ship, using Airbending to open the entrance to the warship's bridge, where the captain was at the helm. Seeing the opening, Aang rushed forward, leaping over the map table and out onto the deck of the bridge. He launched his glider into the air and leapt off the ramp, grabbing the wing spars at the top, kicking his feet in the air. He was about to loop his feet over the spars on the tail-end of the glider when the scarred teen leapt off the ramp behind him and grabbed onto one of his ankles. Aang was unable to keep them both in the air, the two boys feel to the top deck of the ship, the older teen flipping over Aang and landing on his stomach with a thud. Growling the young man got to his feet and turned to face the Avatar who was still on his stomach, his gold eyes narrowed.

Aang got to his feet as well, holding his staff defensively. A sudden growling roar distracted the two boys and they turned to look at the flying bison coming towards them.

"What is that?" the scarred teen muttered.

"Appa!" Aang cried out excitedly then turned quickly back to the older teen and twirled his staff just a ball of fire was flung at him, causing him to fly back a few feet and almost tumble over the side of the warship.

Aang continued to spin his staff as the young Firebender continued to send volley after volley of fire at him, only to have his staff fly away from him. Gasping, Aang jumped to the side to dodge the next blast. He continued jumping away from the fire until he wound up jumping onto the edge of the ship, pin-wheeling his arms to keep his footing on the thin ledge.

"Ah!" Aang exclaimed and threw his hands up to protect his face as the older boy sent more fire his away, shutting his eyes tightly.

The young Airbender groaned as he went tumbling into the icy water below.

* * *

Xiaodan steered Appa over the ocean while the Water Tribe siblings looked over the edge of the sky bison's saddle, looking for the Fire Nation warship.

"There it is!" Sokka yelled suddenly, pointing to the metal ship that was sailing across the water to the left.

Xiaodan turned her head to look in that direction then jerked the reins to the left, "Left, Appa left!"

The flying bison growled lowly and turned to the left, flying closer to the ship.

"Aang!" Katara screamed when they saw the bald boy fall of the side of the ship, "AANG!"

"No!" Xiaodan yelled, dropping Appa's reins and jumped off his head, using her airbending to slow her descent.

"Xia!" Katara and Sokka yelled in shock as the girl glided down to the ship.

Xiaodan whipped her glider from her back as soon as she landed on the ship. She was about to use a gust of air to send the Firebenders back when Aang suddenly appeared in vortex of water, his eyes and tattoos glowing white. Xiaodan watched in awe as Aang used Waterbending to send the Fire Nation soldiers over the side of the ship.

"Aang!" Xiaodan gasped, lunging forward to catch her little brother as he fell forward, "Aang? Come on, wake up little brother."

"Aang!" Katara cried out as she and Sokka jumped off Appa and ran towards the Airbenders, "Are you okay?"

Aang groaned and looked up at Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka.

"Hey Xiaodan, hey Katara, hey Sokka." The boy muttered tiredly, "Thanks for coming."

"Well, I couldn't let you have all the glory." Sokka drawled and Xiaodan rolled her eyes, swatting at the Water Tribe boy with the back of her hand.

"I dropped my staff." Aang said, shifting to sit up more so that he wasn't leaning on Xiaodan as much and looking over to where his staff was.

"Got it." Sokka said, jumping over Aang and running towards his staff only yelp when the guy that had kidnapped Aang grabbed onto the end of it and used it to try and pull himself up.

Sokka grunted and poked the guy in the head with the end of the staff until he let go and fell back towards the icy water below, only the guy managed to grab hold of the anchor.

"Ha! That's from the Water Tribe!" Sokka cheered, doing a little victory dance.

Meanwhile Xiaodan and Katara helped Aang over to where Appa was laying down in a puddle of water. Xiaodan used a small burst of air to jump onto Appa's head then grabbed Aang's hands, pulling him up beside her, where he flopped down on his stomach.

"Katara!" Xiaodan exclaimed when she saw a couple of the Fire Nation soldiers begin to get to their feet.

The Waterbender pursed her lips in concentration and swayed her arms, only to accidently freeze Sokka's feet to the deck of the ship behind her.

"Katara!" He yelled in exasperation.

"Sorry!" Katara yelped and turned around so her back was to the advancing soldiers.

She did the same motion as before, sending the water backwards, thankfully freezing the soldiers that were right behind her.

"You go, girl!" Xiaodan cheered, grabbing Katara's hand then swinging up onto Appa's back so she could climb into Appa's saddle, "Hurry up, Sokka!"

"I'm just a guy with a boomerang." Sokka muttered as he hacked at the ice encasing his feet, "I didn't ask for all this flying and magic."

"Come on, Sokka!" Katara yelled as Sokka finally broke the ice and ran up Appa's tail towards the saddle.

"Yip-yip, yip-yip!" Sokka hollered as he jumped into the saddle just as Appa leapt into the air, flying over the frozen soldiers.

Xiaodan gave a whooping laugh as she steered Appa away from the Fire Nation warship, Aang leaning heavily against her side.

"Fireball!" Sokka screamed and Aang jumped towards Appa's back, opening the tail-end of his glider.

Aang sent a crescent of air towards the fireball which directed it towards the large, unmoving glacier to their right. Xiaodan let out another whoop as an avalanche of snow fell onto the front of the ship and blocked the passage. Aang, Katara, and Sokka laughed along with her as Xiaodan steered Appa towards the North Pole.

* * *

"How did you do that?" Katara asked Aang excitedly, sitting in the middle of the saddle while the bald boy perched on the front rim of it, "The water? It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

"I don't know." Aang responded, looking over at the Water Tribe siblings, "I just did it."

"It's your Avatar state." Xiaodan piped in as she used airbending to hop over Aang's head to land cross-legged in front of Aang, "It's an instinctual thing that you'll need to learn to control."

"Oh." Aang murmured, looking down at his lap.

"Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?" Katara asked suddenly, looking between Aang and Xiaodan.

"Because…" Aang started, looking away from the other three, "Because I never wanted to be."

Xiaodan placed her hand on Aang's knee, squeezing gently and Aang gave her a weak smile in return.

"But Aang, the world's been waiting for the Avatar to return and finally put an end to this war." Katara persisted and Xiaodan turned her head to glare at her.

"And how am I going to do that?" Aang muttered, folding his arms over his crossed legs and looking down at them.

"According to legend," Katara began to explain, ignore the warning look Xiaodan gave her, "You need to first master water, then earth, then fire, right?"

"That's what the monks told us." Xiaodan agreed, relaxing against the side of the saddle, a small frown marring her tanned and tattooed face.

Aang nodded in agreement, "Yeah."

"Well, if we go to the North Pole," Katara said with a mischievous smile appearing on her face, "You can master waterbending."

Aang instantly perked up and he looked at Katara with a smile on his face, "We can learn it together!"

Katara grinned and turned to look at her quiet brother, "And Sokka, I'm sure you'll get to knock some Firebender heads on the way."

"I'd like that." Sokka said with a grin, "I'd really like that."

"What about me?" Xiaodan whined playfully, "What do I get to do?"

Aang laughed and ruffled the older girl's hair, "You can knock some Firebender heads too, Xia."

"Yes!" the pale-haired Airbender cheered, reaching over to give Sokka a high-five.

"Then we're in this together." Katara said with a smile and Xiaodan nodded at her, an easy-going grin on her face.

"Alright." Aang agreed, pulling a rolled up map from a pocket in his pants, "But before I learn waterbending, we have some serious business to attend to."

Xiaodan giggled excitedly and scooted over as Aang used airbending to move from the rim of the saddle to the spot beside her, spreading the parchment out in front of them.

"Here, here, here, and here." The bald Airbender said, pointing to four different spots on the unrolled map.

"What's here?" Katara asked, pointing to the first spot Aang at gestured too.

"Here we'll ride the hopping llamas." Aang explained, pointing to the same spot then moved to one of the other spots on the map, "Then way of here we'll ride on the backs of giant koi fish. Then back over here, we'll ride the hog-monkeys, they don't like people riding them but that's what makes it fun!"

Xiaodan laughed so hard she fell onto her back when she saw the stunned expressions on Katara and Sokka's face. Oh yeah, it was gonna take them a while to get used to Aang's childish ways.

* * *

**EDIT: 1/24/13  
I decided to add the scene where Aang is taken by Zuko. Next chapter should be up within the next hour or hour and a half.**

**Author's Note: Third chapter is complete! Hope everyone likes it. **

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Chuu112: Thanks! I hope you like this chapter!**

**Marissa (Guest): Thanks! I'm glad you like it so far and I hope you like this chapter too!**

**SlowBunny: Yeah, I've seen OCs that can double-bend or something like that, but it was my sister's idea and I ran with it. Anyhooties, I'm glad you like Xia and I hope you like this chapter!**

**Woodshrew: Thanks! I hope you like this chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Southern Air Temple

**AN: Based off Episode 3, Book 1 of the series. We'll be jumping to Zuko's POV every once in a while, so enjoy lovelies.**

* * *

"Wait till you see it, Katara." Aang said excitedly as he tightened the rope reins around Appa's horns, "The Air Temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world."

Xiaodan bit her lip and glanced up at Aang from where she was putting out of the fire they had lit last night. After what Gran-Gran and Sokka had told her, Xiaodan wasn't sure the Air Temple would even be there still but she didn't have the heart to tell her little brother that.

"Aang, I know you're excited but it's been a hundred years since you and Xia have been home." Katara said gently, turning away from where she was securing their packs in Appa's saddle.

Apparently, Katara didn't have any problems voicing what Xiaodan couldn't.

"That's why I'm so excited!" Aang said eagerly, looking up at Katara with wide, excited eyes.

"It's just that a lot can change in all that time." Katara stated.

"I know." Aang agreed, going back to tightening the reins, "But I need to see it for myself. You do too, right Xia?"

Xiaodan smiled up at him as she straighten from her crouched position by the fire, "Right, little brother."

Aang grinned at her and jumped off Appa's head then walked over to a Sokka, who was still wrapped up in his sleeping bag and snoring happily.

"Wake up, Sokka!" Aang said happily as he stood over the sleeping Water Tribe boy, "It's Air Temple time!"

"Sleep now, temple later." Sokka groaned, rolling over so his back was to Aang and started snoring again.

Xiaodan smiled and leaned against Appa's side with her arms crossed as a mischievous grin spread across Aang's face. She and Katara watched as the bald boy picked up a stick and stood next to Sokka's sleeping form again.

"Sokka, wake up," Aang said urgently, running the tip of the stick up and down Sokka's sleeping bag, "There's a prickle-snake in your sleeping bag!"

"AH!" Sokka screamed, jerking up to his feet then hopping a forward a few times before falling on his face, "Get it off, get it off!"

Xiaodan and Katara laughed loudly at the older boy and Xiaodan jumped up into Appa's saddle, next to the dark-haired girl.

"Now that you're awake," Aang said with an innocent smile on his face, "Let's go!"

Sokka growled lowly while Katara and Xiaodan continued to giggle at his expense. Aang smiled cheekily and hopped up onto Appa's head, grabbing the reins and the three waited for the older Water Tribe sibling to gather his stuff and climb into Appa's saddle, grumbling the whole time.

* * *

"Uncle, I want the repairs made as quickly as possible." The scarred teen that had attempted to capture Aang growled to the older man walking slightly behind him as they left his battered warship, "I don't want to stay too long and risk losing his trail."

"You mean the Avatar?" the teen's uncle, Iroh, asked blandly as he looked at the ground and trailed after his nephew.

"Don't mention his name on these docks!" Zuko snapped, turning around to give Iroh an irritated look, "Once word gets out that he's alive, every Firebender will be out looking for him and I don't want anyone getting in the way."

"Getting in the way of what, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko and Iroh turned towards the new voice with surprised expressions on their faces, watching as a dark-haired man in his early-mid thirties, in Fire Nation military garb walk towards them with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Captain Zhao." Zuko stated coldly, folding his arms over his chest.

"It's commander now." Zhao said with an air of smug condescension as he looked at the teen before turning to Iroh and bowing his head slightly, "General Iroh, great hero of our Nation."

"Retired general." Iroh corrected mildly, inclining his head towards the commander.

"The Fire Lord's brother and son are welcome guests anytime." Zhao said, "What brings you to my harbor?"

"Our ship is being repaired." Iroh responded, gesturing towards the small, banged up and outdated vessel he and his nephew had just left.

Zhao's eyebrows rose slightly before his face took on an expression of concern and curiosity, "That's quite a bit of damage."

"Yes, you wouldn't believe what happened." Zuko agreed quickly, "Uncle! Tell Commander Zhao what happened."

Iroh's eyes widened for a moment and he cleared his throat, "Yes, I will do that."

"It was incredible." The older man said, then leaned over to whisper to Zuko, "What did we crash or something?"

Zuko looked up then down at his uncle as he thought of a plausible lie, "Yes, right into an Earth Kingdom ship."

"Really? Zhao asked, unbelieving before continuing with veiled sarcasm, "You must regale me with all the thrilling details." The commander leaned down so he was looking Zuko in the eye, daring him, "Join me for a drink?"

"Sorry, but we have to go." Zuko growled slightly, turned and moving to walk around Zhao but was stopped by Iroh's hand on his shoulder.

"Prince Zuko, show Commander Zhao your respect." Iroh stated calmly then turned to the smug looking commander, "We would be honored to join you. Do you have an ginseng tea? It's my favorite."

Zuko growled and fire shot from his fists as he threw them to his sides, following after his uncle and the commander reluctantly.

* * *

Xiaodan used a rag she had found in the pocket of her pants to clean her staff, carefully rubbing the wood with the cloth. A loud rumbling grabbed her attention and she looked over at Sokka who was scowling and clutching at his stomach.

"Hey, stomach be quiet alright? I'm trying to find us some food." Sokka said to his stomach.

Xiaodan cocked an eyebrow and watched as Sokka rummaged around in his pack and pulled out a tan bag. She continued to watch as he first stuck his hand in the bag then dumped the contents in his hand, but only crumbs came out.

"Hey!" Sokka exclaimed, looking towards Xiaodan, Aang, and Katara, "Who ate all my blubbered seal jerky?"

"Oh…" Aang spoke up, sounding sheepish, "That was food? I used it to start the campfire last night. Sorry."

"You what?!" Sokka demanded, looking irritated then despondent, "No wonder the flames smelled so good."

Xiaodan laughed loudly, tucking the cloth back into her pocket then crawling over to the front of the saddle and hanging over the rim so that she could watch where they were flying.

"The Patola mountain range!" Aang cried out happily, "We're almost there!"

Xiaodan smiled happily, excited to be returning to her home or at least what was left of it, if what Gran-Gran and Sokka told her was true.

"Aang," Katara said quietly, looking over at the bald boy sitting beside her on Appa's head, "Before we get to the temple, I want to talk to you about the Airbenders."

"What about 'em?" Aang asked, glancing at her curiously for a moment then looking forward again.

"Well," Katara started to explain quietly, "I just want you and Xia to be prepared for what you might see. The Fire Nation is ruthless. They killed my mother and they could have done the same to your people."

Xiaodan pursed her lips and looked away from the two, staring at her clasped hands instead. She knew what Katara was talking about, even if she didn't want to believe it.

"Just because people haven't seen an Airbender doesn't mean the Fire Nation killed them all." Aang stated optimistically, glancing back at Xiaodan hopefully, "They probably escaped."

"I know it's hard to accept," Katara said softly, placing her had on Aang's shoulder and he smiled slightly at her.

"You don't understand Katara," Aang explained with slightly amusement, "The only way to get to an Air Temple is on a flying bison. And I doubt the Fire Nation has any flying bison. Right, Appa?"

Appa grumbled loudly, whether that was in agreement was unknown but that's what Aang was going to take it as. Xiaodan smiled softly as Aang steered Appa closer to where the Southern Air Temple was located in the mountain range.

"Hold on." Xiaodan called out, grabbing Sokka's arm and holding onto the rim of the saddle as Aang steered Appa upwards.

Xiaodan, Sokka, Katara, and Aang held on tightly as Appa flew higher and higher until they crested the top of the mountain.

"There is it," Aang said happily as the Southern Air Temple appeared beyond the mountain, "The Southern Air Temple."

"It's amazing you guys!" Katara said excitedly as she leaned forward slightly and Aang smiled at the sight of his home.

Xiaodan smiled and hopped onto Appa's head, sitting on Aang's other side, "We're home, little brother."

"Yeah, we're home, Xia." He murmured, "We're home."

* * *

"And by year's end the Earth Kingdom capital will be under our rule." Zhao explained the plan to take over the Earth Kingdom, his back to Zuko and Iroh as he faced the large map on the wall of his tent, with his hands clasped behind his back.

He turned to look at Zuko, sitting with back to Zhao and his golden-eyed gaze on the ground, "The Fire Lord will finally claim victory in this war."

"If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willing then he is a fool." Zuko stated coldly, glancing to over when Zhao took the seat next to him.

"Two years at sea have done little to temper your tongue." Zhao said mockingly.

Zuko glanced away from the smug commander and looked back at the table in front of him.

"So," Zhao started, tone still mocking, "How is your search for the Avatar going?"

A crash pulled the man's attention towards Iroh, who was standing beside the rack of weapons he had just knocked over with a surprised expression on his face.

"My fault entirely." Iroh stated, backing away from the weapons with his hands folded in his robes' long sleeves.

"We haven't found him yet." Zuko answered Zhao's question, looking at the older man out of the corner of his good eye.

"Did you really expect too?" Zhao asked rhetorically, "The Avatar died a hundred years ago, along with the rest of the Airbenders."

Zuko looked away, his lips pursed as he suppressed a scowl, a reaction Zhao was quick to notice. The commander's expression turned almost predatory as he looked at the scarred teen with a slight smirk.

"Unless you've found some evidence that the Avatar is alive."

Zuko turned his head to fix Zhao with a withering glare, his fists clenched tightly on the armrests of the chair he was sitting in.

"No," Zuko denied and relaxed his clenched fists and looking away, appearing despondent, "Nothing."

"Prince Zuko," Zhao began, rising from his own seat and moving to stand in front of the banished Prince with his hands behind his back, "The Avatar is the only that can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war. If you have an ounce of loyalty left, you'll tell me what you've found."

"I haven't found anything." Zuko said firmly, turning to look Zhao in the eye to prove that he wasn't lying to the commander, "It's like you said, the Avatar probably died a long time ago."

Zhao looked down at the younger man, searching his face for a lie but the teenager's expression was a stone mask.

Zuko rose to his feet, fist clenched at his sides as he walked past Zhao, "Come on, Uncle, we're going."

Two guards stopped the scarred prince from leaving by crossing their spears while another guard stepped forward.

"Commander Zhao, we interrogated the crew as you instructed." The guard reported, moving to stand a few steps behind his commander, "They confirmed Prince Zuko had the Avatar in custody but let him escape."

Zuko closed his eyes for a moment and pressed his lips into a tight line, then glared darkly at the tent flap in front of him as the guard finished his report.

"Now remind me," Zhao started, a haughty expression appeared on his face as he turned to stand behind the young banished prince, "How exactly was your ship damaged."

Zuko's expression turned murderous and he bowed his head slightly, his gold eyes narrowed as he refused to look at the gloating man leaning over his shoulder.

* * *

As soon as Appa landed, Xiaodan leapt off his head and twirled around with her arms outstretched, laughing happily. She stopped spinning and looked up at Aang, Katara, and Sokka who were still sitting on Appa.

"Race you to the temple, little brother!" She cried out as she darted up the path that lead towards the main temple, "Last one there is a rotten platypus-bear egg!"

"Cheater!" Aang yelled back with a laugh as he raced after Xiaodan, the Water Tribe siblings jogging after them.

"So where do I get something to eat?" Sokka asked, clutching at his stomach with a frown as he watched Xiaodan and Aang run ahead of him and his sister.

"You're lucky enough to be one of the first outsiders to ever visit an Airbender temple and all you can think about is food?" Katara asked drily, with a sarcastically amused look on her face.

"I'm just a simple guy with simple needs." Sokka retorted as they finally caught up with Aang and Xiaodan.

"So that's were Xia, me, and our friends used to play airball." Aang said, pointing to the airball court then pointing to another part of the mountain the Southern Temple resided, "And over there is where the sky bison used to sleep."

Aang sighed and Xiaodan put her hand on his shoulder, a frown marring her tan face as she took in the emptiness of temple ground.

"What's wrong?" Katara asked curiously and Xiaodan glanced over at her.

"This place used to be filled with monks, lemurs, and bison." Aang said, looking at the emptiness despondently, "Now there's just a bunch of weeds. I can't believe how much things have changed."

"Don't give up hope, Aang." Xiaodan said softly as she turned to look around as well, "Maybe they're in the temple or something?"

The Water Tribe siblings exchanged looks behind the two morose Airbenders, but neither contradicted the pale-haired girl.

"So, uh, this airball game." Sokka said, coming up to stand beside Xiaodan while Katara stood on Aang's other side, "How do you play?"

Xiaodan and Aang grinned at each other then looked over at Sokka and Katara with equally mischievous smiles on their faces.

* * *

Xiaodan laughed as she watched Aang try and teach Sokka how to play airball. She laughed harder when Aang sent the ball at Sokka, hitting the older boy in the stomach and sending him through the goal.

"Aang, seven and Sokka, zero!" Aang cheered with a laugh and Xiaodan leapt up onto the post beside Aang, slapping a high-five to his hand with a laugh.

"Aang, Xia, there's something you need to see." Katara called out suddenly, grabbing the two Airbenders' attention.

Xiaodan and Aang jumped off the posts they were standing on and ran towards the siblings.

"Okay." Aang said as he and Xiaodan used their airbending to toss the ball back and forth as they ran.

"What is it?" Xiaodan asked, spin the ball through the air towards Aang as they came to a stop in front of Katara and a snow covered Sokka, "What happened to Sokka?"

"Uh, just a new waterbending move I learned." Katara explained, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Nice one." Aang said sweetly then gestured back towards the temple, "But enough practicing, we have a whole temple to explore."

Xiaodan laughed and followed after her little brother as he walked back towards the main part of the temple. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Katara and Sokka were following and furrowed her brow when she saw the guilty and sad expression on the Water Tribe girl's face. The pale-haired girl shook her head and turned back around, hurrying after Aang who was already in the courtyard of the temple. She smiled when she saw him standing in front of a statue of a familiar monk. Xiaodan hurried over to stand by Aang's side, looking up at the familiar face of Monk Gyatso.

"Hey guys, I want you to meet somebody." Aang called out to the siblings, gesturing for them to come closer.

"Who's that?" Sokka asked, looking at the statue curiously.

"This is Monk Gyatso." Xiaodan said, touching the statue's knee fondly as she looked up at him.

"The greatest Airbender in the world." Aang added, "He taught me and Xia everything we know."

Xiaodan smiled as Aang bowed to the statue, she could tell he was remembering something. The pale-haired girl shook her head and walked around the statue, leaving Aang to his memories as she walked up the steps that lead into the Air Temple where she waited for her little brother.

"You must miss him." Katara murmured, touching Aang's shoulder as he came out of his memory.

"Yeah." Aang muttered, moving around the statue and walking up the steps.

"Where are you going?" Katara asked as she and Sokka moved to follow him.

"The Air Temple Sanctuary." Aang explained, pausing beside Xiaodan and glancing at the siblings, "There's someone I'm ready to meet."

Xiaodan held her hand out to Aang and smiled encouragingly at him. Aang returned her smile and grasped her hand in his, letting her lead the way to the Air Temple Sanctuary. Katara and Sokka exchanged looks then followed after the two Airbenders, both curious about who Aang had to meet and how would be alive after a hundred years.

* * *

Xiaodan let go of Aang's hand when they stopped in front of the large wooden door with the intricate lock in the middle.

"But Aang, Xia, no one could have survived in there for a hundred years." Katara stated matter-of-factly.

"It's not impossible." Xiaodan said, looking up at the door.

"Xia and I survived inside the iceberg for that long." Aang added with a grin as he too stared up at the door.

"Good point." Katara said with amusement.

"Katara," Aang said to the other girl with excitement, "Whoever's in there could help me figure out this Avatar thing."

"And whoever's in there might have a medley of delicious cured meat." Sokka piped in, running towards the door only to slam into it.

Aang, Xiaodan, and Katara watched in amusement as Sokka tried to open the door.

"You're not gonna be able to open the door." Xiaodan stated idly, her lips quirked in amusement as she rocked back on her heels.

"I don't suppose either of you have a key?" Sokka asked, sliding down the door to sit on the ground.

"The key, Sokka, is airbending." Aang said wisely.

Xiaodan glanced over at Aang, "I'll take the left if you take the right."

Aang nodded and the two stood side-by-side then took a deep breath, holding their arms out horizontally from their bodies. Simultaneously, Aang and Xiaodan lunged forward and shoved their hands towards the horns that made up the start of the lock. Two gusts of air spiraled from their palms into the opening of the lock, sending air through the twisted pipes and flipping the three blue spirals that made up the Airbending symbol so that they were now dark purple. With a creak the door unlocked then opened inward slowly. The four stared into the darkness of the room that the now opened doors revealed.

"Hello?" Aang called out, cupping his hand around his mouth as his voice echoed through the large room as he walked forward, "Anyone home?"

Xiaodan followed after Aang, looking around curiously as the Water Tribe siblings followed after the two Airbenders.

* * *

"So a twelve year old boy bested you and your Firebenders." Zhao stated, pacing in front of Zuko, who was back in the seat he had previously vacated with two of the commander's guards standing behind him.

Zhao sighed and stopped in his pacing, clasping his hands behind his back, "You're more pathetic than I thought."

"I underestimated him once," Zuko snapped looking at Zhao briefly then back to the floor, "but it will _**not**_ happen again."

"No it will not." Zhao agreed, his tone stern and his back still turned to the prince and his uncle, "Because you won't have a second chance."

Zuko started to protest, "Commander Zhao, I've been hunting the Avatar for two years and I-"

Zhao spun around, a crescent of fire coming from his palm as he faced the banished prince, "And you failed! Capturing the Avatar is too important to leave in a teenager's hands."

Zhao looked down at Zuko, his expression hard and unmoving, "He's mine now."

A snarl twisted Zuko's face and his fists clenched the armrests for a moment before he lunged at Zhao, the guards grabbing him by the elbows and pulling him back before he could get too close to the commander.

"Keep them here." Zhao stated to the guards as he turned away and left the tent.

Zuko growled and kicked over the small table with the tea cups and teapot on it, his face still twisted into an angry snarl.

"More tea please." Iroh said in his typically jolly tone of voice as he held up his small teacup.

* * *

"Wow…" Xiaodan murmured, looking at the hundreds of statues that were inside the room as the four walked further into the room.

"Statues?" Sokka demanded, stopping in front of one of the statues, "That's it? Where's the meat?"

"Who are all these people?" Katara asked, looking up at one of the statues from where she had stopped walking beside Aang.

"I'm not sure." Aang answered, "But it feels like I know them somehow. Look that one's an Airbender."

"And that one's a Waterbender." Katara said, pointing the statue in front of her, "They're lined up in a pattern. Air, water, earth, and fire."

"That's the Avatar cycle." Aang stated helpfully.

"These are all the past Avatars, Aang. You're past lives." Xiaodan said quietly as she came to stand on Aang's other side, looking around at all the statues.

"Of course." Katara said, looking around in awe, "They're all your past lives…"

"Wow, there are so many!" Aang gaped, starting to around the room again.

"Past lives?" Sokka asked skeptically, looking at his sister with his arms crossed, "Katara, you really believe in that stuff?"

"It's true." Katara said defensively, "When the Avatar dies, he's reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle."

Xiaodan glanced over at Aang, who was staring at one of the Avatar statues. The white-haired Airbender walked over to him and looked up at the statue as well, seeing that this Avatar was a Firebender.

"Aang, snap out of it." Katara said suddenly, grabbing Aang's shoulders and giving him a slight shake.

"Huh?" Aang muttered, blinking and looking up at the statue while Katara and Xiaodan shared a concerned look.

"Who is that?" Katara asked, looking up at the statue as well.

"That's Avatar Roku." Aang explained, "The Avatar before me."

"That's right." Xiaodan murmured, glancing at Sokka when he came over to stand beside her.

"You were a Firebender?" He asked, "No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met."

"There's no writing." Katara stated, looking at the bottom of the statue, "How do you know his name?"

"I'm not sure." Aang said, "I just know it somehow.

"You just couldn't get any weirder." Sokka stated drily, crossing his arms over his chest.

Xiaodan laughed slightly and shook her head in amusement, "It's an Avatar thing. He subconscious is aware of all of his past lives."

"Really?" Katara asked, looking at the other girl curiously, "How do you know?"

Xiaodan shrugged one shoulder and crossed her arms, "I liked to read about the Avatars when I was younger."

A sudden noise had them all tensing and turning to look at the still open door. Sokka and Xiaodan hid behind one statue while Aang and Katara hid behind the one next to them.

"Firebender." Sokka whispered, "Nobody make a sound."

"You're making a sound." Katara hissed and was shushed by Sokka, Aang, and Xiaodan.

Sokka grabbed his club from his back while Xiaodan pressed closer to the back of the statue they were hiding behind.

"That Firebender won't know what hit him." Sokka muttered, holding his club at the ready as he stood and the sound of footsteps got closer to where they were hiding.

Sokka poked his head around his statue first, club raised but paused when he saw what was standing in there. Xiaodan, Aang, and Katara peeked around their statues as well, their eyes widening when they saw their 'attacker'.

"Lemur!" Aang and Xiaodan exclaimed excitedly.

"Dinner." Sokka groaned at the same time, beginning to salivate as he looked at the lemur.

"Don't listen to him." Aang said, smiling at the lemur happily, "You're going to be my new pet."

"Not if I get him first!" Sokka yelled, lunging towards the lemur at the same time Aang did.

Xiaodan and Katara moved out from behind the two statues and stared at the boys who were now chasing the fleeing lemur. The two girls exchanged exasperated looks.

"Boys." They chorused with a simultaneous eye roll.

"I'll go get them." Xiaodan said, rolling her eyes again as she followed after the boys, "Wait here?"

"Sure." Katara agreed with a smile as she turned back to the status.

Xiaodan smiled briefly and used her airbending to run faster as she darted down the hallway after the two boys.

* * *

Zuko didn't look up when Commander Zhao reentered the tent, keeping his golden-eyed gaze firmly on the spot between him and his uncle and his arms over his chest.

"My search party is ready." Zhao stated as he came to a stop beside the two chairs that Zuko and Iroh had moved to face each other, "Once I'm out to sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship and you'll be free to go."

"Why?" Zuko asked, jerking his head around to glare up at Zhao, "Are you worried I'm going to try and stop you?"

Zhao laughed mockingly at the younger man.

"You? Stop me?" Zhao questioned scornfully after his chuckles had died done some, "Impossible."

Zuko lurched to his feet, eyes narrowed and fists clenched as he turned to face the commander fully, "Don't underestimate me, Zhao! I will capture the Avatar before you."

"Prince Zuko," Iroh snapped warningly as he stood as well, "That's enough."

But Zhao wasn't finished taunting the banished prince.

"You can't compete with me." He said coolly, "I have hundreds of warships under my command and you; you're just a banished prince. No home, no allies, your own father doesn't even want you."

"You're wrong." Zuko growled through clenched teeth, "Once I deliver the Avatar to my father, he will welcome me home with honor and restore me to my rightful place on the throne."

"If your father really wanted you home," the commander taunted coldly, "He would have let you return by now, Avatar or no Avatar. But in his eyes you are a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation."

"That's not true."

"You have the scar to prove it."

Zuko growled and moved forward so his and Zhao's faces were only inches apart, "Maybe you'd like one to match!"

"Is that a challenge?" Zhao asked with a scoff.

"An Agni Kai," Zuko snarled, standing toe-to-toe with Zhao, "at sunset."

"Very well." Zhao agreed, straighten and taking a small step away from the scarred prince, "It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you. I guess your uncle will do."

Zuko scowled as Zhao turned away from him and left the tent again.

"Prince Zuko," Iroh chided gently from his spot behind his nephew, "Have you forgotten what happened last time you dueled a master?"

"I will never forget." Zuko stated, his gold eyes narrowing slightly.

* * *

"Hey, Aang, you find my dinner yet?" Sokka asked, pushing aside the ratty curtain and stepping into the room he had seen Aang go into.

The Water Tribe boy frowned when he saw the younger boy on his knees with his head bowed as he sobbed. Sokka walked closer, reaching a hand out to touch his shoulder.

"Aang, I wasn't really going to eat the lemur. Okay?" Sokka said softly then started when he saw the bodies of Fire Nation soldiers and the skeleton sitting against the wall in the Air Nomads yellow and orange robes, "Oh man…"

"Come on, Aang." Sokka murmured, placing his hand on Aang's shoulder, "Everything will be alright. Let's get back to Xia and Katara."

Sokka gasped when Aang's arrow tattoos began to glow white and he quickly jerked his hand away, his eyes widening as he looked at the younger boy.

* * *

Katara walked around the Air Temple Sanctuary, smiling slightly as she looked at all the statues. She wondered when Xiaodan was going to be bringing the boys back. She stopped in front of the statue of Avatar Roku. Katara gasped when statue's eyes suddenly began to glow a bright blue-white, the same color Aang's arrows and eyes glowed when he entered the Avatar state. The other statue's eyes began to glow next and Katara's eyes widened further.

"Aang!" The young Waterbender cried out in shock, spinning around and running out of the room in search of her friends and brother.

* * *

"Aang…" Sokka said warily, only to gasp when air began to swirl around the younger boy's feet, gradually picking up speed until a sphere of air surround Aang, "Come on, snap out of it!"

Sokka yelped as the air sent him flying and destroying part of the small abode they had found Monk Gyatso's body surrounded by the bodies of Fire Nation soldiers. The Water Tribe boy groaned when he smacked into a piece of rubble then pulled himself up slightly so that he could see over another piece of rubble that was in front of him.

"Sokka!"

Sokka glanced over his shoulder and saw Xiaodan and Katara running towards him, the girls having met on their way to the broken down hut.

"What happened?" Katara asked, as she and the other girl stood on either side of Sokka.

"He found out Firebenders killed Gyatso." Sokka explained, holding onto the rubble in front of him as he glanced over at his sister.

"What?" Xiaodan gasped, looking over at Aang, "Aang!"

"Xia!" The Water Tribe siblings shouted together as the pale haired girl leapt over the rubble and used her own airbending to make a buffer between her and the tornado around Aang's body.

"Katara!" Xiaodan shouted, looking over her shoulder at the other girl, "Follow me, we need to calm him down!"

"Hurry before he blows us off the mountain!" Sokka shouted at the two girls.

* * *

"Remember your Firebending basic, Prince Zuko." Iroh advised his nephew quietly from his spot in front of the scarred teen's kneeling position," They are you're greatest weapons."

"I refuse to let him win." Zuko stated determinedly, his eyes closed as he rose from his kneeling position and turning to face Zhao.

"This will be over quickly." Zhao said confidently as he faced the younger man as they assumed their stances.

One of the guards hit the gong, the ringing sound signaling the fighters to begin. Zuko made the first move, shooting a fireball from his fist that Zhao easily dodged by side-stepping. The young prince sent another fireball at the older man, but Zhao simply dispersed the flame with his arms.

Panting slightly, Zuko growled and used a new tactic, kicking streams of fire at Zhao but the commander effortlessly nullify the blasts. Zuko paused to catch his breath, panting slightly while Zhao merely smirked smugly at the prince.

"Basics, Zuko." Iroh called out from the sidelines encouraging, "Break his route!"

Scowling slightly, Zhao begins to send out his own fire blasts from his fist. Zuko manages to block each blast, but is slowly forced backwards each time he does. Finally, Zhao launches a powerful blast with both his fists at the young prince which knocks Zuko onto his back. Pressing his advantage, the commander leaps into the air and lands in front of the downed teenager, aiming his neck fireball at Zuko's face.

Zuko's eyes widened as the fireball heads straight for his head but before it can connect, he rolls out of the way, kicking his legs up then bringing them down and swiping Zhao's feet out from under him before landing on his own feet. With a smirk, the banished prince begins send streams of fire out of the side of his feet, causing Zhao to retreat away from the blast.

With a fierce growl, Zuko kicks his leg up and sends a powerful fire blast at Zhao, knocking the older man to the ground. Quickly, the scarred teen moves in front of Zhao, his fist pointed at the commander's face, ready to finish the older man off.

"Do it!" Zhao snarls from his position on the ground, brown eyes glaring up at Zuko's golden ones.

Snarling, Zuko launches a fireball past Zhao's face, hitting right above the man's shoulder.

"That's it?" Zhao demanded, "Your father raised a coward."

"Next time you get in my way, I promise I won't hold back." Zuko promised, his tone dark and firm as he turned away from Zhao.

Growling, Zhao rose to his feet then spun around and shooting a fire blast at Zuko's turned back only for his foot to be caught by Iroh. The old man shoved the commander away, then caught his nephew by the shoulders when the young prince lunged forward to attack Zhao.

"No Prince Zuko, do not taint your victory." Iroh said calmly as Zuko straightened, still scowling in Zhao's direction.

Iroh turned to look at Zhao, who was sprawled out on the dirt, "So this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat? Disgraceful." The old man sniffed in disdain, "Even in exile, my nephew is more honorable than you. Thank again for the tea, it was delicious."

Iroh turned away from Zhao and began walking away, Zuko trailing after him.

* * *

"Did you really mean that, Uncle?" Zuko asked his uncle quietly as they left the arena and headed towards his warship.

"Of course." Iroh said, a smug look on his aged face, "I told you ginseng tea is my favorite."

A small smile appeared on Zuko's face and he looked away from his uncle and towards the harbor where their ship was waiting.

* * *

Katara nodded and hopped over the stone slab she had been standing behind with Sokka then moved over to stand behind Xiaodan.

"Grab my shirt!" Xiaodan called over her shoulder, focusing on keeping the air from throwing them off the mountain.

The white-haired girl felt the other girl grab the back of her shirt then Xiaodan slashed her hands outward, slicing a path towards Aang. She walked forward slowly, keeping the path clear by holding her arms out as she shuffled along with Katara at her back.

"Talk to him, Katara!" Xiaodan shouted as she saw Aang begin to rise into the air, "Hurry!"

"Aang!" Katara called the bald boy's name, "Aang, I know you're upset and I know how hard it is to lose the people you love. I went through the same thing when I lost my mom."

Xiaodan grunted and faltered slightly, causing her and Katara to be pushed back a slightly but the wind but Xiaodan was able to throw her arms out again and keep the air from beating them back any farther. She continued to shuffle forward, which encouraged Katara to continue talking to Aang.

"Monk Gyatso and the other Airbenders may be gone but you still have a family!" Katara called out, pleaded for the young Airbender to listen to her, "Xiaodan, Sokka, and I, we're your family now!"

"Please, Aang!" Xiaodan implored, looking up at her little brother's floating form, "Please, little brother, I know it hurts! I loved Gyatso too, Aang! He was the only father I've ever known and now he's gone. I can't lose you too, please come back to us, Aang!"

Katara clutched at the back of Xiaodan's shirt and the wind began to die down enough for Sokka to come running towards the two girls. The three teens watched as the sphere of air surrounding Aang began to lower to the ground. The sphere disappeared as soon as Aang's feet touched the ground and Xiaodan rushed over to him, not caring that his eyes and tattoos were still glowing. Sokka and Katara hurried after her.

"I'm here, Aang." She whispered, hugging him from behind, "I'm here, little brother, and I'm never going to let anything happen to you, I swear."

"Katara and I won't let anything happen to you either, Aang. You or Xia." Sokka said firmly with a small smile as he and his sister stood on either side of the two Airbenders, "I promise."

Katara smiled softly and took Aang's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Xiaodan hugged Aang tighter as his arrows and eyes stopped glowing, his gray-blue eyes filled with tears as he collapsed and Xiaodan lowered him to the ground carefully, still holding him tightly to her.

"I'm sorry." Aang whispered sadly and Xiaodan rested her chin on the top of his head.

Katara crouched down beside them and Xiaodan wrapped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer so that Aang was leaning against both girls.

"It wasn't your fault." Katara said reassuring, resting her cheek against the side of Aang's head, still holding his hand in her.

"But you were right." Aang whispered, "And if Firebenders found this temple, that means they found the other ones too."

Xiaodan bit her lip in an attempt to keep the tears that were threatening to fall from escaping.

"Xia and I really are the last Airbenders." He whispered brokenly as his eyes closed and a single tear slid down his cheek.

Xiaodan pulled Aang and Katara closer to her just as Katara tightened her own arms around Aang and her. Sokka stood beside them, placing his hand on Aang's shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

* * *

"Everything's packed." Xiaodan said as she and Katara walked into the Air Temple Sanctuary where Aang was standing in front of the statue of Roku.

"You ready to go?" Katara asked as the two girls came to stand beside him, both of them looking up at the statue.

"How is Roku supposed to help me if I can't talk to him?" Aang questioned no one in particular.

"Maybe you'll find away." Katara said, sounding more hopeful than she probably felt.

"Yeah, between the four of us, we're bound to come up with something." Xiaodan stated, placing her hand on Aang's shoulder.

A familiar noise had the three turning towards the door where the lemur was standing. Xiaodan, Katara, and Aang watched as the lemur hopped over to where Sokka was standing a few feet away from the open door then dropped the armful of fruits it was holding in front of the Water Tribe boy then hopped away as Sokka began to devour the fruits.

"Aww…" Xiaodan cooed, smiling at the lemur.

"Looks like you made a new friend, Sokka." Aang said with a happy smile.

"Can't talk." Sokka muttered with a mouthful of food, "Must eat."

Xiaodan and Katara giggled when the lemur leapt onto Aang's shoulder, its tail curling around his neck as he looked at Sokka over Aang's head.

"Hey, little guy," Aang said, smiling slightly at the lemur on his shoulder.

"What a cutie!" Xiaodan practically squealed as she rubbed one of the lemur's ears, "Are you gonna come with us, little fella?"

The lemur chattered at her then licked her fingers, causing Xiaodan to giggle again.

* * *

"You, me, Appa, Xia," Aang said as he stood beside Appa's head with the lemur perched on his shoulder while Xiaodan stood on his other side, "We're all that's left of this place. We have to stick together."

Xiaodan smiled over at where Katara and Sokka were snacking on some of the fruit they had found at the temple, "Guys say hello to the newest member of our family."

"What are you going to call him?" Katara asked as the two Airbenders walked over to her and Sokka, the lemur perched on Aang's arm.

Xiaodan giggled when the lemur leapt off Aang's arm and snatched the fruit from Sokka's hand then leapt back to Aang.

"Momo." Aang answered with a grin as he looked at the lemur who was happily eating the fruit.

Katara, Aang, and Xiaodan laughed at the irritated look on Sokka's face as he looked at his empty hand.

"Alright, come on you guys," Xiaodan stated, gesturing for her new little family to finish getting ready, "Let's get going, yeah?"

The other three nodded and Sokka grabbed the two bags of fruits and nuts then they all climbed up onto Appa, Xiaodan taking the reins while Aang, Sokka, and Katara sat in the saddle.

"Yip-yip!" Xiaodan called out and Appa grumbled, smacking his tail against the ground then leaping into the air.

The white-haired girl looked over her shoulder as she steered Appa away from the Southern Air Temple, memorizing it as best she could as it began to get smaller and smaller. She could see Aang doing the same thing at the back of the saddle, Momo on his shoulder.

'_Don't worry, Aang.' _She thought determinedly, _'We'll be back, I promise.'_

* * *

**Author's Note: Hope everyone likes this chapter! I hope I did the canon characters justice! Next chapter will take place during Episode 4 of season 1, which is my favorite episode because I think the Kyoshi warriors are pretty badass. Plus we get to see some of Xiaodan protective ass-kicking side in that chapter too, which will be exciting I think. That chapter should be posted sometime tomorrow, so stay tuned!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You rock and I love you guys in a totally non-weirdo-creeper way!**

**SPECIAL THANKS!**

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Hmm… I haven't decided yet, though I'm thinking Zuko will probably manage to kidnap Xiaodan in the 9th episode, the one with the pirates and the waterbending scroll, which will kick off their relationship. The actual 'love-fest' probably won't start until the maybe the middle of Book Two when the GAang is in Ba Sing Se. But until both of those things happen there will be some mild, but humorous interactions between Zuko and Xiaodan when even our favorite banished prince attempts to capture Aang. Anyhooties, hope you liked this chapter!

**FeatherfooD: **Haha, I'll try to update my other stories as soon as possible but in the meantime I think I'll focus on this one for now. At least until I get the inspiration I need for the others. I know what you mean about being unable to resist a good Zuko/OC story and I'm glad you like Xia so far. Just tell me if she becomes Mary-Sue or something and I'll try to fix her the best I can. I hope you liked this chapter!

**LavendersFlower: **Awesome! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one too!

**Woodshrew: **I know right? I'd forgotten how funny the show was, so I'm super glad I decided to do this story for my sister since it gives me an excuse to re-watch the show. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**FurionKnight: **I hope you like this chapter!

**Momo De Munkee (Guest): **Thanks! I hope you like this chapter!

**Dream lighting: **I'm glad you like Xiaodan and I hope you like this chapter!

**Lilnightmare17: **Thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far! To answer your question, Xiaodan is a double bender, and yes I realize that's an overused concept but it was my sister's idea and I wanted to show her that I actually considered her ideas for some of my stories _at least_ once. More about Xiaodan's heritage will be explained later on though, but if you have any more questions feel free to ask and I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability without giving away the entire story. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Sunflower13: **Thanks, I'm glad you like the sibling relationship between Xia and Aang. I'll admit I was pretty tired of seeing OCs that were just friends with Aang or they were friends but the OC was infatuated with Aang at the same time. Haha, awesome, I'm super glad you like how Xiaodan fits into the cheerful Airbender stereotype, but I wouldn't let that fool you, she can be one mean big sister when she needs to be. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Awesome, I'm glad you like the story so far! There are actually a few stories with OCs that are frozen with Aang, but I haven't really enjoyed the ones I've read. Nothing against the authors but the OCs seem like Mary-Sues to me, but like I said, nothing against those authors. Anyhooties, I think you should still write a story for Avatar: The Last Airbender since there can never be too many of those stories, in my humble opinion. I'd be sure to read it. :) Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Lilirox187: **Haha, thanks, my ego just grew considerably. XD I've always hated when authors are overly descriptive, I think it takes the fun out of using my imagination which is why I read in the first place. It's the same with rushing things, I mean seriously two people can't just meet, fall in love, and start sucking face in a span of ten minutes. Well, maybe that happens, but I think that's just lust and not love, but to each their own. So yeah, my romances tend to take a while to full develop, which I know can annoy some people but that's just the way I roll and I'm glad you think rushing things is annoying. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!


	5. Chapter 5: The Warriors of Kyoshi

**AN: Fifth chapter takes place during Season 1 Episode 4: The Kyoshi Warriors! Some Zuko/Xiaodan antagonistic-ness in this chapter, which I hope everyone finds fun, also some Zuko POV thrown in. Enjoy lovelies! **

* * *

_**Previously on**__ Open Your Mind:_

_The other three nodded and Sokka grabbed the two bags of fruits and nuts then they all climbed up onto Appa, Xiaodan taking the reins while Aang, Sokka, and Katara sat in the saddle._

_"Yip-yip!" Xiaodan called out and Appa grumbled, smacking his tail against the ground then leaping into the air._

_The white-haired girl looked over her shoulder as she steered Appa away from the Southern Air Temple, memorizing it as best she could as it began to get smaller and smaller. She could see Aang doing the same thing at the back of the saddle, Momo on his shoulder._

'Don't worry, Aang.'_She thought determinedly, _'We'll be back, I promise.'

* * *

In his room on the warship, Zuko sat in front of a low table with four burning candles on it, carefully breathing in and out as he meditated while the candle flames grew and shrank with each breath. The door to his quarters creaked open and Iroh poked his head inside, causing Zuko's eyes to open.

"The only reason you should be interrupting me is if you have news about the Avatar." Zuko said softly, his voice calm.

Iron opened the door further and stepped into his nephew's room, pulling a scroll from his sleeve he entered.

"Well there is news, Prince Zuko," Iroh stated, looking at the scroll in his hands, "But you might not like it. Don't get too upset."

"Uncle, you taught me that keeping a level head is a sign of a great leader." Zuko said, voice still calm, "Now whatever you have to say, I'm sure I can take it."

"Okay then." Iroh muttered rubbing his bearded chin with one hand, "We have no idea where he is."

The candle flames exploded upward suddenly and Zuko whirled around to face his uncle, who had lifted his arm to shield his eyes from the light of the flames.

"What!" Zuko demand as he leapt to his feet, towering over his uncle.

"You really should open a window in here." Iroh commented flippantly as he pulled a fan from his robes' sleeve and fanned his face, the scroll clutched in his other hand.

"Give me the map." The banished prince snapped, snatching the rolled up scroll from his uncle's hand.

"Uh, there have been multiple sightings of the Avatar," Iroh reported, still fanning his face, "but he is impossible to track down."

Zuko looked over the map in his hands, "How am I going to find him, Uncle? He is clearly a master evasive maneuvering."

Iroh shrugged slightly and looked at his nephew with a slight quirk to his lips, "Perhaps it is that charming Airbender girl you were ranted about when you first found the Avatar."

Zuko felt his good eye twitch at the mention of the annoying white-haired girl.

* * *

"You have no idea where you're going, do you?" Sokka asked turning his gaze from the map in his hands to where Xiaodan and Aang were sitting on Appa's head.

"Well," Aang said, looking over his shoulder at the Water Tribe siblings sitting in the saddle, "I know it's near water."

Xiaodan snorted and down at the sprawling ocean below them, her lips quirked in amusement as she shook her head and reclined on Appa's large head with her hands behind her own head.

"I guess we're getting close then." Sokka muttered drily, also looking over the edge of the saddle at the ocean below them.

Aang looked up at Katara sitting at the front of the saddle, stitching the hole in Sokka's pants with a peaceful expression on her tanned face.

"Momo, marbles please."

Xiaodan opened an eye to watch as Momo dove into Aang's shirt then popped back out and sitting on the young boy's shoulder, placing the marbles in the boy's hand.

"Hey, Katara," The younger Airbender called out to the Waterbender as he moved to face her fully, "Check out this Airbending trick."

The marbles in his hand began spinning rapidly in a circular motion between his palms, thanks to Aang's airbending and Aang grinned up at the preoccupied Katara widely. Xiaodan chuckled under her breath and closed her eyes, greatly amused at her little brother's attempts at impressing the slightly older girl.

"That's great, Aang." Katara muttered, too focused on fixing Sokka's pants to pay attention to the young Airbender.

The smile fell from Aang's face and he closed his hands over the marbles which stopped their spinning, "You didn't even look."

"That's great!" Katara said with more enthusiasm as she turned to look at Aang.

"But I'm not doing it now." Aang muttered, looking confused and slightly crestfallen at the girl.

"Stop bugging her, Airhead," Sokka commented with a dismissive wave of his hand as he reclined against the back rim of the saddle, "You need to give girls space when they do their sewing."

Xiaodan's eye twitched and she sat up, moving so that she could peer over the saddle at Sokka with narrowed molten orange eyes. Apparently Katara was just as irritated with her brother's chauvinistic comment as the older white-haired girl.

"What does me being a girl have to do with sewing?" the Waterbender asked, her tone screaming 'danger-danger.'

"Simple," Sokka explained, completely oblivious to his sister's annoyed tone, "Girls are better at fixing pants than guys and guys are better at hunting and fighting and stuff like that. It's just the natural order of things."

The flat expression on Katara's face suddenly morphed into an over cheerful one, a wide smile on her pretty face.

"All done with your pants and look what a great job I did!" Katara exclaimed, tossing Sokka's pants at his face, the rather large hole in the back still not completely fixed.

"Wait!" Sokka yelped, pulling the pants from his face, "I was just kidding! I can't wear these! Katara please!

Xiaodan snorted and stuck her tongue out at the Water Tribe boy, who had his arm sticking out of the hole in his trousers, "That's what you get for being a jerk, Sokka."

"Relax Sokka," Aang called out with a bright smile as he jerked Appa's reins to the right, "Where we're going, you won't need any pants!"

The blank expression on the older boy's face caused Xiaodan to laugh loudly at his expense.

* * *

Xiaodan jumped and somersaulted off of Appa's head after Aang had landed the large flying bison on the shore of a small Island in the Earth Kingdom. The white-haired girl placed a hand over her mouth as she yawned then stretched languidly, her spine cracking slightly. Aang and Katara soon joined her on the ground, Aang practically bouncing while the two girls looked on with amusement.

"We just made a pit stop yesterday." Sokka commented as he jumped from Appa's back, "Shouldn't we get a little more flying done before we camp out?"

"He's right." Katara agreed as the two siblings turned to Aang who was looking out at the water, one hand behind his back while the other shaded his eyes, "At this rate, we won't get to the North Pole until spring."

"But Appa's tired already. Aren't you, boy?" Aang stated, looking up at the sky bison, then nudged the bison when all Appa did was snort, "I said, aren't you boy?"

As if on cue, Appa yawned loudly and Aang turned to look at Sokka, Katara, and Xiaodan, pointing at Appa with his thumb in a 'see? I told you' type gesture.

"Yeah, that was really convincing." Sokka said drily, looking over at his sister, "Still, hard to argue with a ten-ton magical monster."

"He's not a monster." Xiaodan quipped with a cheeky grin then looked over at Aang who had run towards the water, "What are you doing, Aang?"

"Look!" The younger Airbender gasped excitedly, pointing at the ocean just as a giant yellow and red koi fish leapt out of the water.

Xiaodan laughed giddily and threw her arms up in the air with a cheer, while Sokka and Katara looked at the water wit wide, disbelieving eyes.

"That's why we're here, elephant koi." Aang explained excitedly as he dropped his pants and took off his shirt, leaving him in his underwear and showing off his Airbending tattoos, "I'm gonna ride 'em. Katara, you gotta watch me."

"Be careful!" Xiaodan called, sitting cross-legged on the sandy beach as Aang ran and dove into the cold, blue water only to jump up a moment later with a shout, causing Xiaodan to laugh and clap her hands merrily.

The Water Tribe siblings stared at the boy for a moment with blank expressions before glancing at each. Sokka lifted a finger and twirled it near his temple in the universal sign for craziness, which earned him a punch in the leg from Xiaodan who had got the gesture.

"Whoo!" The white-haired girl cheered as Aang rode on the back of the elephant koi, "Go Aang!"

Xiaodan giggled happily when she glanced up at the siblings and saw Katara watching Aang with wide eyes and an awed smile on her tanned face then rolled her molten orange eyes at Sokka's unimpressed expression.

Aang laughed, clutching onto the back fin of the elephant and waved at the trio on the beach, his face ecstatic.

"Whoo!" Katara whooped and jumped, waving back at the bald boy as she and Xiaodan continued to cheer him on, Momo jumping up and down beside the white haired girl.

"He looks pretty good out there." Katara commented to her brother, looking at his indifferent expression and crossed arms.

"Are you kidding? The fish is doing all the work." Sokka muttered.

"Spoilsport." Xiaodan snarked from her spot on the ground.

"No, Appa!" Katara cried out suddenly, pulling Xiaodan's attention away from Aang.

"Don't eat that!" The white-haired Airbender yelped, leaping to her feet and racing toward the sky bison with Katara, neither noticing the wide smile Aang sent there way.

* * *

Aang grinned widely over at the beach, hoping to catch Katara's attention only to pout when he saw her and Xiaodan running around a small bend, leaving only and unimpressed Sokka and a happily bouncing Momo on the beach to watch him ride the elephant koi.

"Aw, man."

* * *

Sokka's eyes widened and he leaned forward when he saw a large shadow coming right up behind Aang and the elephant koi he was riding.

"There's something in the water!" He exclaimed, catching Xiaodan and Katara's attention.

"What's wrong?" Katara asked as she and Xiaodan skidded to a stop on either side of the boy.

"Aang's in trouble."

"AANG!" Xiaodan screamed, rushing towards the edge of the shore.

"GET OUT OF THERE!" She and Katara yelled at the same time, bot h watching in horror as one of the other koi was suddenly dragged under the water.

"COME BACK HERE, AANG!" Sokka shouted, the three teens gesturing widely for the younger boy to come back to the shore and away from whatever was in the water.

Thinking they were waving at him, Aang lifted his hand to wave back only to be thrown from the koi when it suddenly lurched backwards and was dragged into the water.

"AANG!" Xiaodan screamed again as she watched her little brother be thrown into the water and then a massive grayish-purple fin appeared behind him, "GET OUT OF THE WATER RIGHT NOW!"

The trio on the beach watched as Aang turned to look at the thing casting a shadow over him, then he screamed and leapt up, practically running across the water as he darted towards the beach, the monster just behind him.

Sokka yelled when Aang crashed into him, knocking him back into a tree. Xiaodan and Katara exchanged worried looks and hurried to where Aang was pulling on his pants and Sokka was sprawled out in the snow against the tree they had crashed into.

"Spirits, Aang!" Xiaodan gasped, clutching the shorter boy to her chest, her eyes still wide with slightly panic, "Are you okay, little brother?"

"I'm fine, Xia." Aang responded, voice slightly muffled before he pulled away to pull on his shirt.

Xiaodan looked him over briefly before moving to help Sokka to his feet.

"What was that thing?" Katara asked, standing beside Aang and Xiaodan and in front of Sokka.

"I don't know." Aang said, pulling his shirt over his head, his voice awed.

"Well, let's not stick around to find out." Sokka muttered, dusting his hands off after Xiaodan had pulled him to his feet, "Time to hit the road."

Xiaodan yelped and raised her hands when a group of warriors suddenly surrounded them, one grabbing Sokka under his arms while another pulled Katara's hood over her face which distracted Aang enough for a third warrior to grab him by the collar of his shirt and another caught Momo in a drawstring sack. Orange eyes wide, Xiaodan dodged the hands that tried to grab her leaping into the air and flipping over the fourth warrior's head then quickly kicking him in the back.

"Oof!" The white-haired girl grunted when she was tackled from behind, her hands quickly tied behind her back and a blindfold placed over her eyes.

The four travelers grunted when they were tossed on the ground blindfolded, with their hands tied behind their backs and ropes keeping their arms trapped by their sides. Xiaodan growled slightly, wiggling in an attempt to escape her bonds.

"Or we could stay awhile." Sokka remarked with faint sarcasm.

"Shut up, Sokka." The white haired girl huffed annoyed as she felt one of their attackers haul her to her feet and start pushing her towards an unknown destination.

* * *

"You three have some explaining to do." An old male voice said from in front of the four, who had been tied to a pole.

"And if you don't answer our questions, we're throwing you back in the water with the unagi." A younger, female voice finished for the older man.

"I'd like to throw you to the unagi…" Xiaodan muttered darkly, extremely displeased about being tied up and blindfolded, only to mutter an 'ow' when Katara somehow managed to elbow her in the side.

"Show yourselves cowards!" Sokka cried out defiantly and just as irritated at being kidnapped.

"Who are you?" the Water Tribe boy demanded once the blindfolds had been removed, "Where are the men who ambushed us?"

"There were no men," A girl with short auburn hair who was clearly the leader of the group of female warriors standing in front of the four snapped, pointing her finger at Sokka's face, "We ambushed you. Now tell us, who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Wait a second,," Sokka snarked, "There's no way a bunch of girls took us down."

Xiaodan groaned and smacked the back of her head against the poll she and her friends were tied to.

"Idiot." She mumbled as the leader of group stepped forward and grabbed the front of Sokka's parka.

"A bunch of girls, huh?" The girl snapped, "The unagi's going to eat well tonight."

"No, don't hurt him!" Katara quickly intervened, grabbing the girl's attention, "He didn't mean it. My brother's just an idiot sometimes."

Sokka frowned at the girl in front of him as she let him go, her expression flat and annoyed.

"It's my fault." Aang suddenly spoke up, pulling everyone attention to him, "I'm sorry we came here. I wanted to ride the elephant koi."

"How do we know you're not Fire Nation spies." The old man from before accused angrily and pointed his finger at the four young people, "Kyoshi stayed out of the war so far and we intend to keep it that way.

"This island is named for Kyoshi?" Aang asked excitedly, looking over at the man, "I know Kyoshi!"

The old man scoffed, "How could you possibly know her? Avatar Kyoshi was born her four hundred years ago. She's been dead for centuries."

Xiaodan and Aang looked up at the top of the pole they were tied to, where a wooden stature of Avatar Kyoshi was perched. Aang looked at the ground with a thoughtful expression on his face before a serene look appeared and he turned to look at the old man.

"I know her because I'm the Avatar."

"That's impossible!" The leader warrior girl snapped, raising her fist, "The last Avatar was an Airbender who disappeared a hundred years ago."

"That's me." Aang stated, grinning slightly.

"Throw the imposter to the unagi." The old man ordered angrily then walked away.

The warriors advanced on the group, opening their metal fans in preparation as they surrounded the four.

"Aang, Xia, do some Airbending…" Katara muttered from the corner of her mouth as the warriors advanced on them.

Aang frowned for a moment then used Airbending to propel himself upward, snapping the rope on one arms of the Kyoshi statue, which he then flipped over and floated to the ground in front of Sokka, Katara, and Xiaodan. The warriors and the old man, plus the villagers that had been milling around behind them gasped and began murmuring to each other in awe as they all stared at Aang.

"It's true." The old man said in amazement, "You are the Avatar."

"Now, check this out." Aang said with a smirk as he whipped out his marbles and used his Airbending to make them spin between his hands, grinning over at the villagers.

The villagers cheered and laughed, one man going completely nuts and starting to foam at the mouth before passing out. Xiaodan laughed lightly and leapt into the air, similar to the way Aang had and broke free of the rope tying her, Katara, and Sokka to the pole.

The young woman clapped her hand on Aang's shoulder, smiling down at him happily while the villagers cheered and began running around, spreading the news that the Avatar was on Kyoshi Island.

* * *

"The Avatar is on Kyoshi Island?!" Zuko demanded as one of the crew members placed the fish he and his uncle were going to eat on the table, "Uncle, ready the rhinos. He's not getting away from me this time."

Iroh watched his nephew stalk out of the room then he pointed to the fish in front of him, "Are you going to finish that?"

"I was going to save it for later!" Zuko snapped, snatching the dish form the table and stalking away, leaving Iroh to cross his arms and pout at the table.

* * *

"Alright, dessert for breakfast!" Aang cheered as he stuffed a pastry in his mouth, "These people sure know how to treat an Avatar."

"Don't talk with your mouthful, little brother." Xiaodan chided with an amused smile at the younger Airbender as she picked up one of the sugary treats from the many laid out on the table.

Aang grinned at the older girl before looking over at Katara and holding out one of the desserts he'd been eating, "Mm, Katara, you gotta try these."

The Waterbender smiled and put the treat she'd been looking at down and took the dessert Aang held out to her, "Well, maybe just a bite."

Xiaodan laughed again when she saw Katara's eyes widening slightly and a grin spread across her tan face. The younger girl picked up another of the treats from the table, while Momo stole another. The white-haired girl grinned happily, taking a bit out of her treat and continuing to watch the villagers clean up the Kyoshi statue from the window behind Aang and Katara.

"Sokka, what's your problem?" Aang asked, looking over at the older boy, who was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall and his arms crossed over his chest, "Eat."

"Not hungry." The Water Tribe boy snapped, pouting at the floor.

"But you're always hungry." Xiaodan and Aang said together, looking over at the irate boy in confusion.

"He's just upset because a bunch of girls kicked his butt yesterday." Katara explained to the confused Airbenders, a smug smile on her face.

"They snuck up on me!" Sokka protested instantly, coming out of his slouched position to look at his sister indignantly.

"Right," Katara drawled, looking at her brother with a haughty expression, "And then they kicked your butt."

"Sneak attacks don't count!" Sokka snapped, jumping to his feet and stalking out of the room, "Tie me up with rope, I'll show them a thing or two."

Xiaodan cocked an eyebrow when he came back standing next to her and grabbed a couple of the desserts from the table.

"I'm not scared of any girls. Who do they think they are anyway?" He mumbled, then shoved one of the pastries in his mouth, "Mm, this is tasty."

Xiaodan giggled manically, clutching her stomach and falling onto her back as she laughed.

"What's he so angry about?" Aang asked naively, looking over at Katara as Sokka left the room, "It's great here. They're giving us the royal treatment."

"Hey, don't get too comfortable." Katara advised, "It's risky for us to stay in one place for very long."

Aang pouted for a moment then grabbed another treat, a smile on his face, "I'm sure we'll be fine. Besides did you see how happy I'm making this town? They're even clean off that statue in my honor."

"Well, it's nice to see you excited about being the Avatar." Katara commented, looking off to the side, "I just hope it doesn't all go to your head."

"Katara's right, little brother." Xiaodan spoke up then as she straightened from her sprawled out position on the floor, "Don't let this thing go to your head."

"Come on, you two know me better than that. I'm just a simple monk." Aang stated with a serene smile as he got to his feet and leaned against the window.

Xiaodan winced slightly when the shrill shouts of a group of the village girls came through the window, cheering for Aang. The white-haired girl watched as Aang blushed and a wide smile spread across his face while Katara crossed her arms and rolled her eyes in exasperation, then blew a raspberry when the screams got louder.

"Oh Spirits…" Xiaodan muttered and flopped back on to the floor.

* * *

Aang ran across the bridge, the group of screaming village girls chasing after him. Then he ran back the other way, across the bridge again only to double back and run back to the bridge, stopping in the middle. He looked both ways and leapt into the air when he saw two groups of girls coming at him from both sides.

The girls stopped screaming for a moment and pouted as they looked up at Aang, before starting to scream and cheer again when they saw the ball of air he was clinging to begin to shrink until it disappeared and he fell in their waiting arms.

* * *

The village painter held his brush up in front of him, judging the appropriate measurements of the young Avatar and the village girl clinging to his side.

"Hmm… Painting the Avatar, that's easy enough." The painter muttered as he began painting the girl first, only to frown when he lowered his canvas and saw another girl standing beside the boy, "Oh, there's another one."

"A little adjustment here." The painter mumbled as he added the second girl only to blink when he saw more girls had joined the first two, "There's more."

He lowered the canvas again only to frown when he saw even more of the village girls surrounding the Avatar. His lips pursed as he stared at them flatly and a drop of ink fell from his brush onto the canvas. The girls giggled and tried to get closer to the Avatar, causing the painter to shake his head and stand, walking away from the absurd scene.

* * *

Xiaodan watched Aang try to impress a few of the village girls by doing push-ups first with both hands, then one, and finally by blowing a strong current of air out of his mouth. The white-haired girl chuckled and followed after Katara, who was carrying a jug of water back to the house the villagers were letting them stay in. Xiaodan decided to let her little brother have his fun for now, she was pretty sure the girls would get bored eventually.

* * *

Grumbling, Sokka stomped his way to the dojo near the back of the village were the Kyoshi Warriors were busy training. The young man peeked in the open doorway and smirked to himself. He entered the dojo and held his hands up.

"Sorry ladies, didn't mean to interrupt your dance lesson." He snarked and stretched his arm over his head, "I was just looking for somewhere to get a little workout."

The girls stopped their routine and turned to look at the tanned boy.

"Well, you're in the right place." The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, Suki, stated coolly as she watched Sokka continue to stretch, "Sorry about yesterday, I didn't know you were friends with the Avatar."

"It's alright." Sokka said haughtily, "I mean, normally I'd hold a grudge but seeing as you guys are a bunch of girls, I'll make an exception."

"I should hope so." Suki drawled with veiled sarcasm, "A big, strong man like you, we wouldn't stand a chance."

"True." Sokka agreed, oblivious to the girl's sarcasm as he finished stretching a condescending smirk on his face, "But don't feel bad, after all I'm the best warrior in my village."

"Wow," Suki cooed, leaning forward with her hands on her hips, "Best warrior, huh, in your whole village? Maybe you'd be kind enough to give us a little demonstration."

Sokka's eyes widened, "Well, I mean-"

Suki ignored him, turning to the other warriors, "Come on girls, wouldn't you like him to show us some moves?"

The other Kyoshi Warriors giggled and nodded in agreement. Suki turned back to a smirking Sokka with a quirked eyebrow.

"Well if that's what you want." Sokka said and walked over to Suki, putting his hands on her shoulders, "You stand over there."

"Now, this may be a little tough, but try to block me." Sokka instructed after he backed away and got into a fighting stance.

He swung his fist only to yelp slightly when Suki lifted her hand and hit him under the arm with her fan. Sokka chuckled slightly, rolling his shoulder and looking at the girl with an unsure expression.

"Good." He complimented, "Of course, I was going easy on you."

"Of course." Suki drawled, much to Sokka's irritation.

"Let's see if you can handle this!" Sokka cried out, swinging a kick at Suki only for her to slide forward and knock him into the air with her arm.

The Kyoshi Warrior snapped open her metal fan and began fanning her face, looking down at Sokka's sprawled out form on the ground of the dojo.

"That's does it!" Sokka snapped, lunging to his feet and swinging his fist at the girl.

Suki easily pushed his fist away, grabbing his forearm with one hand while her other pressed into his shoulder and she began swinging him around in a circle. She swung him the other way then jerked his arm back, snapped his belt off and tied it around the arm in her grasp and his raised ankle. Suki then stepped back and watched as the young man began hopping forward, trying to keep his balance before falling on his face with a yelp.

"Is there anything else you want to teach us?" Suki asked smugly as she stood over Sokka's prone form, while the other Kyoshi Warriors giggled at his predicament.

Sokka blushed furiously and looked up at the girls with wide, embarrassed eyes.

* * *

Xiaodan plucked up one of the vegetables from the table in front of her and placed it in the clay jug the villagers had let her and Katara use. The two girls were gathering some supplies in a companionable silence, although Xiaodan could tell that the dark-haired girl was slightly irritated with the way Aang has been acting.

Said boy suddenly appeared on Katara's other side, tapping her shoulder with a small smile on his face.

"Oh good!" Katara said with a smile as she picked up the jug full of vegetables and fruits, "Could you help me carry this back to the room? It's a little heavy."

Xiaodan watched the interaction with a vaguely amused look, plucking up one of the apples from the table and taking a bite out of it.

"Actually, I can't right now." Aang said, holding his hands up apologetically.

"What do you mean you can't?" Katara asked in surprise, looking at the Airbender in confusion.

"I promised the girls I'd give them a ride on Appa." Aang explained, smiling slightly, "Why don't you and Xia come with us? It'll be fun."

Katara turned back to the table of vegetables, picking up some cucumbers and placing them in the jug, "Watching you show off for a bunch of girls does not sound like fun. Right, Xia?"

The white-haired girl held her hands up and waved them slightly, "Nuh uh. I'm not getting in the middle of this."

Katara huffed and picked up a couple of eggplants, dropping them in the jug. Aang looked at Xiaodan in confusion for a moment before looking back at Katara.

"Well, neither does carrying your basket." Aang stated, pointing at the clay basket.

"It's not my basket." Katara snapped, looking at Aang with frustration, "These supplies are for our trip. I told you we have to leave Kyoshi soon."

"I don't wanna leave Kyoshi yet." Aang protested, "I can't put my finger on it but there's something I really like about this place."

Xiaodan looked over at the gaggle of giggling girls waiting a few feet behind Aang and rolled her eyes, taking a bit out of her apple as she continued to watch Katara and Aang.

"What's taking you so long, Aangy?" One of the girls demanded, stomping her foot.

Xiaodan nearly choked on the piece of apple in her mouth.

"Aangy?" She and Katara chorused, looking at Aang in disbelief as he smiled and waved at the girls behind him.

"Just a second, Koko." He called over to her then turned to face Katara again.

"Simple monk, huh?" Katara asked sarcastically, giving the young Avatar an annoyed look, "I thought you promised Xia and me this Avatar stuff wouldn't go to your head."

"It didn't." Aang denied then a smug expression appeared on his young face, "You know what I think? You just don't want to come because you're jealous."

Xiaodan groaned quietly and slapped her forehead with her free hand, her eyes closing in exasperation.

"Jealous!?" Katara snapped indignantly, "Of what?"

"Jealous that we're having so much fun without you." Aang answered, ignoring the way Xiaodan was waving her arms in a frantic attempt to get him to be quiet from behind Katara.

"That's ridiculous." Katara said with a scowl as she placed more vegetables and fruits in the jug.

"It is a little ridiculous, but I understand." Aang agreed naively, hands clasped behind his back.

"Ugh!" Katara growled and hefted the clay basket into her arms, stalking away from Aang, "Come on, Xia."

The white-haired girl watched the Waterbender stomp away then looked back at Aang only to shake her head in bemused exasperation when she saw the village girls pull him away.

"Oh boy…" Xiaodan muttered, tossing her half-eaten apple in the air and catching it again as she followed after the irate Katara, "This is not going to end well at all."

* * *

Sokka hovered outside the dojo where the Kyoshi Warriors were training and kicked a rock before turning towards the building. He walked up the steps and into the dojo, pausing when he saw the girls in the middle of their routine. The Warriors turned to look at the Water Tribe boy curiously, holding their lunged position as they waited for him to speak.

"Uh, hey, Suki." He greeted nervously.

Suki straightened and placed her hands on her hips, "Hoping for another dance lesson?"

"No, I-Well, I-Let me explain." Sokka stuttered rubbing the back of his head.

"Spit it out." Suki demanded, "What do you want?"

Sokka looked at Suki for a moment before bowing his head and kneeling in front of Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors, much to their surprise.

"I would be honored if you would teach me." He asked humbly.

"Even if I'm a girl?" Suki quipped sternly, arms crossed over her chest.

"I'm sorry if I insulted you early." Sokka apologized, looking away shamefaced, "I was wrong."

"We normally don't teach outsiders," Suki stated, "Let alone boys."

"Please make an exception." Sokka practically begged, first looking up at Suki then bowing his head, "I won't let you down."

Suki thought about it for a moment then nodded with a smirk forming on her painted face, "Alright, but you have to follow all of our traditions."

"Of course." Sokka agreed instantly.

"And I mean _all _of them." Suki stated again, with a smile.

Sokka gulped, suddenly feeling unsure about this.

* * *

"Do I really have to wear this? Sokka asked, looking down at the dress the Kyoshi Warriors had forced him into, "It feels a little…_girly_."

"It's a warrior's uniform." Suki said, arms folded behind her back, "You should be proud. The silk thread symbolizes the brave blood that flows through our veins, the gold insignia represents the honor of the warrior's heart."

Sokka straightened and put his hands on his hips, puffing his chest out proudly, "Bravery and honor."

"Hey, Sokka, nice dress." Aang complimented with a laugh as he passed the open door, causing Sokka to deflate instantly with a blush of embarrassment.

* * *

Xiaodan lounged in the window sill of the room she and her friends were staying in, watching as Katara practiced her Waterbending with a small bowl of water at her side. The white-haired girl was enjoying the cool breeze and warm sunshine on her face, as well as the surprisingly relaxing motions of the water moving to and fro as Katara directed it.

"Katara, remember how the unagi almost got me yesterday?" Aang asked suddenly as he stepped into the room and rocked back and forth on his heels.

One of Xiaodan's eyebrows rose and her eyes narrowed, not liking the smug tone in her younger brother's voice as he talked to Katara.

"Yeah." Katara answered without looking at him.

"Well, I'm gonna go ride it now." Aang said confidently, "It's gonna be real dangerous."

Xiaodan felt her eye twitch and she sat up on the window ledge so that she was straddling it as she glared over at Aang, daring him to continue talking nonsense.

"Good for you." Katara commented offhandedly, as if she didn't care at all.

"Not good for you." Xiaodan snapped, but was ignored much to her irritation.

"You're not gonna stop me?" Aang asked confusedly, his posture no longer cocky as he looked at the dark-haired girl.

"Nope. Have fun."

"I will." Aang said and petulantly crossed his arms.

Realizing what was going on, Xiaodan snorted and rolled her eyes, returning to her lounging position on the windowsill as she listened to the two other Benders with half an ear.

"Great."

"I know it's great."

"Well I'm glad you know."

"I'm glad, you're glad."

"Good!"

"Fine!"

Xiaodan watched as Aang paused in the doorway and cast a disappointed look back at Katara then walked out. The white-haired girl then watched as Katara wrapped her arms around herself and looked at the empty doorway, her expression concerned and full of worry.

Groaning to herself, Xiaodan hopped off the windowsill and made her way over to the younger girl, grabbing her arm and hauling her to her feet.

"What are you doing?" Katara asked, not resisting when the older Airbender began leading her out of the room.

"We're going to make sure my idiot little brother doesn't get himself eaten by the giant eel." Xiaodan stated drily as she dragged Katara out of the house and towards the beach.

* * *

"You're not gonna master it in one day." Suki commented as she watched Sokka continue to practice the moves she and her warriors had taught him, "Even I'm not that good."

"I think I'm starting to get it." Sokka said as he went through the routine then accidently tossed the fan out of the open door and into a snow covered tree.

Suki looked out the door in amusement before turning to look at a sheepish Sokka, "It's not about strength. Our technique is about using your opponent's force against them."

"Loosen up." The auburn haired girl said and pulled one of her fans out of her belt, "Think of the fan as an extension of your arm."

She moved into a fighting stance, Sokka mimicking her a moment later. Suki moved to forward slightly.

"Wait for an opening and then-Oof!" She grunted when Sokka hooked his foot around her own then knocked her backwards by pushing her with his forearm.

Suki looked up at him surprise and Sokka crossed his arms smugly.

"I fell on purpose to make you feel better!" Suki snapped as she leapt to her feet.

"I got you!" Sokka gloated, pointing at her excitedly, "Admit I got you."

Suki chuckled and grabbed his finger bending it backwards, "Okay, it was a lucky shot. Let's see if you can do it again."

They got into a fighting stance and Suki began circling him, while Sokka moved to keep her from getting behind him.

* * *

"What's taking so long?" The village girl, Koko, demanded as she and the others sat on the beach while Aang was in the water.

"I'm sure it'll be here any second." Aang called back to them, frowning before an idea came to him and he started spinning his marbles again, "Uh, what about this?"

"Not that again." One of the girls groaned, "Boring."

"Where's the unagi?" Koko asked as some of the girls began to stand, "It's getting late."

"Where are you going?" Aang cried out, "Don't leave!"

"Sorry, Aang!" Koko apologized as the girls began walking back to the village, "Maybe next time."

Aang sighed and sank to his nose in the water, eyes downcast with disappointment. His grey eyes widened when he saw two familiar figures dressed in blue and orange.

"Katara! Xia!" He exclaimed happily, "You showed up!"

"We wanted to make sure you were safe." Katara called back to him, her hands folded in front of her, "You really had me worried."

"But back there you acted like you didn't care." Aang stated with confusion and Xia snickered before sitting down cross-legged on the sand.

"I'm sorry," Katara apologized softly.

"Me too." Aang said regretfully, glancing off to the side, "I did let all that attention go to my head. I was being a jerk."

"Well get out of the water before you catch a cold, you big jerk!" Katara shouted teasingly, causing Xiaodan to laugh and Aang to grin widely at the dark-haired girl.

"On my way!" He called back as he started swimming to shore.

"AANG!" Xiaodan yelled suddenly, jumping to her feet with a gust of air when she saw the unagi's huge fin heading straight for Aang, "SWIM FASTER!"

"What?" Aang questioned only to yell as the water began to churn around him and he was suddenly lifted from the ocean on the back of unagi.

He screamed again when the head of giant eel appeared in front of him, looking down at where he was perched on its back. The unagi suddenly shot a jet of water from his mouth right at Aang, who was able to grab onto one of the spines on the unagi's back to keep from being blown back into the water.

"AANG!" Xiaodan and Katara shrieked as the giant eel lunged at the bald boy, who grabbed onto one its whiskers.

The unagi began to swing the young Airbender around in an attempt to get him off his whisker.

"Hang on, Aang!" Katara cried out as she watched, only to gasp in horror with Xiaodan when the giant eel managed to fling the boy off his whisker and back into the water a few feet from shore.

"Aang!" Katara shouted, running into the water with Xiaodan right beside her.

The unagi dove under the water and swam towards the barely conscious Airbender, appearing just as Katara and Xiaodan reached him. Taking a deep breath, Katara shoved her hand forward and used her Waterbending to propel the three teens back to the shore.

Xiaodan groaned and shook herself, watching the unagi blasts the rocks with water before swimming away.

Katara and Xiaodan peeked over the rocks they were hiding behind and their eyes widened.

"Zuko!" Katara gasped when she saw the familiar warship.

"Not him again." Xiaodan groaned then leapt to her feet, "Katara, try to wake up Aang, I'll go warn the village."

"Wait!" Katara protested by the white haired girl had already leapt over the rocks and was racing back to the village, using her Airbending to give her an extra boost of speed.

* * *

"I want the Avatar alive." Zuko ordered as he and some of his men descended from his ship on their rhinos, following the path that lead to the village.

* * *

Katara peered over the rocks then ducked down again just as the Fire Nation soldiers passed her Aang's hiding spot. The young Waterbender shifted again away from the rocks and cupped the back of his bald head with her hand.

"Wake up, Aang." Katara pleaded then looked around quickly and moved her hand over his body and towards his mouth, pulling the water from his lungs.

The young Airbender coughed and looked up at the relieved Waterbender, "Katara, don't ride the unagi, not fun."

* * *

Xiaodan raced into the village heading straight for the dojo where she knew Sokka was with the Kyoshi Warriors, shouting a warning to the villagers to get inside as she passed.

"Sokka! Suki!" The white haired girl shouted as she exploded into the large room, startling both of them, "Firebenders!"

Just then Oyaji, appeared in the doorway behind the Airbender, his face terrified, "Firebenders have landed on our shores! Girls come quickly!"

Suki raced out of the dojo, Xiaodan hot on her heels.

"Hey I'm not a-Ugh, whatever!" Sokka growled and raced after the two girls.

* * *

"Come out, Avatar, you can't hide from me forever." Zuko shouted as he and his men stood in front of the main path into the village on their rhinos.

He narrowed his gold eyes as the villagers that had been peeking out of their windows ducked down out of site.

"Find him." The banished prince ordered and his soldiers rode into the quiet village.

* * *

Xiaodan raced across the rooftops with the Kyoshi Warriors, her staff strapped to her back. She ignored the other Fire Nation soldiers that the girls quickly ambushed, instead focusing her molten orange gaze on their leader, who had hung back near the front of the village. She had a bone to pick with him.

Her orange eyes widened when she saw Suki leap towards Zuko after dodging his fire blasts only for her to be knocked by his rhino's tail after he had spun it around. Zuko sent a blast of fire at the downed girl and Xiaodan cried out in relief when she saw Sokka dressed as a Kyoshi Warrior use a metal fan to block the fire sent at Suki.

The white-haired girl leapt into the air, kicking her foot out and sending a volley of air at Zuko which knocked him off his rhino before he could shoot another fire blast at Sokka and Suki. She then landed on the roof again, sending gusts of air out in an attempt to put out some of the flames that the Firebenders had created.

"I guess training's over." Sokka commented as he and Suki rushed to surround the banished Fire Nation prince's prone form on the porch, another Kyoshi Warrior joining them.

"Argh!" Zuko snarled, pushing himself up onto his hands and swinging his feet around, sending an arc of fire from his feet at the three warriors surrounding him.

Suki was knocked back into one of the support beams of the house's overhanging and the second Kyoshi Warrior was thrown into the house, which was catching on fire. Zuko snarled again and began attacking the third warrior, kicking fire at her before swiping her feet out from under her.

"Nice try, Avatar, butt these little girls can't save you!" Zuko shouted.

"Hey, jerk!"

Zuko turned around and sneered when he saw the white-haired Airbender standing in front of him, "You again."

"You want the Avatar," The girl sneered as she shifted into a fighting stance, feet apart and hands raised, "You'll have to go through me."

"Fine." Zuko growled with a scowl and executed a spinning kick, a crescent of fire shooting from the bottom of his foot and right at Xiaodan.

The white-haired jumped and flipped over the flames, whipping her staff off her back then swinging it like a bat, a gust of air knocking the scarred teen away from her.

Zuko snarled and placed his hands above his shoulders, pushing himself to his feet then he proceeded to launch fire blasts from his fists at the female Airbender. He attacked relentlessly, barely giving her enough time to disperse the blasts being sent at her with her staff.

"Ah!" Xiaodan yelped as she tripped and fell on her back, her forearms slightly burnt after she had crossed her arms in front of her face after the scarred prince had sent a particularly powerful fire blast at her.

Zuko towered over the white-haired girl and sneered down at her, pulling his arm back to launch another volley of fire at her prone form. Defiant orange eyes met angry gold orbs as the girl stared up at him scornfully. Zuko's eyes narrowed and fire danced around his fist only to freeze when a voice suddenly rang out.

"Hey, over here!" Aang shouted from the end of the street, glaring at the older teen with his staff in hand.

"Finally." Zuko hissed, turning away from the orange-eyed girl and sending to powerful fire blasts from his fists at the bald boy.

* * *

"Aang!" Xiaodan cried out, rolling to her feet only to hiss as pain laced her forearms and stumble to her knees.

She needn't have worried though, because Aang dodged the first fire blast and dispersed the second with his staff. Then the young Airbender twirled his staff above his head and used it to carry him straight to Zuko.

Aang dodged the next blast of fire but his staff was knocked out of his hands in the process. Thinking quickly, Aang jumped away from the prince and landed between two of the metal fans one of the Kyoshi Warriors must have dropped. Using Airbending, Aang lifted the fans into his hands then straightened and began twisting his body in an intricate move which ended when he swung the two fans and sent a powerful gust of air at Zuko, causing the older boy to go flying through the wall of the house behind him.

Seeing the destruction the fight was causing, Aang grabbed his staff and ran towards where Xiaodan was kneeling.

"We gotta find Katara and Sokka." Aang said urgently as he helped his sister-figure to her feet.

Xiaodan nodded and swiped her own glider from the ground and the two raced down the street, tossing their gliders in the air then jumping on them.

* * *

Xiaodan felt tears gather in her eyes as she and Aang flew over the burning village. She noticed Aang glance backwards and when she followed his gaze, the white-haired girl winced when she saw the statue of Kyoshi was on fire.

The two swooped back down to the street when they saw Katara ushering two children into one of the houses that wasn't on fire. Xiaodan snapped her glider shut and turned so her back was to Aang and Katara, keeping an eye out for the scarred prince and his soldiers.

"Look what I brought to this place." Aang said quietly and Xiaodan could feel her heart clench at the self-reproach in his tone.

"It's not your fault." Katara said in an attempt to reassure the boy but Aang just shook his head.

"Yes, it is. These people got their town destroyed trying to protect me."

"Then let's get out of here." Katara suggested, "Zuko will leave Kyoshi to follow us. I know it feels wrong to run, but I think it's the only way."

"Katara's right, Aang." Xiaodan piped in, glancing over her shoulder, "The firebug seems pretty obsessed with capturing you. I'd bet my glider he'd follow you to straight the Spirit World just to try and kidnap you."

Aang bowed his head and despondently agreed, "I'll call Appa."

"I'll find Sokka." Xiaodan said, snapping her glider open and jumping into the air.

* * *

"There's no time to say goodbye." Suki said, looking at Sokka with a small amount of sadness.

"What about 'I'm sorry?'" Sokka questioned, leaning towards Suki slightly.

"For what?" Suki asked, confused and curious even though her village was burning all around her.

"I treated you like a girl when I should have treated you like a warrior." Sokka explained quietly.

"I am a warrior." Suki agreed then leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the boy's cheek, "But I'm a girl too."

A blush formed on Sokka's cheeks as he watched Suki jump to her feet and move to stand in the alley they had been hiding in.

"Now get out of here. We'll hold them off." Suki ordered and rushed back toward the main street.

Sokka jumped to his feet and was about to run the other way when Xiaodan suddenly landed in front of him.

"Come on, Sokka!" The white-haired girl commanded, grabbing the boy's hand and pulling him to where Aang and Katara were waiting on Appa, "We've gotta go!"

The two climbed up the large sky bison's tail, Xiaodan shoving Sokka into the saddle on Appa's back before jumping right after.

"Go, go, go!" The older Airbender encouraged as she looked over the back of the saddle, orange eyes watching for any signs of pursuit.

"Appa, yip-yip!" Aang called out, snapping Appa's reins and with a rumbling growl the sky bison jumped into the air, flying away from Kyoshi Island.

* * *

Zuko looked up and saw the Avatar's bison flying away and he whirled around, running back to his warship.

"Back to the ship!" He shouted his command to his soldiers over his shoulder, "Don't lose sight of them!

* * *

"I know it's hard, but you did the right thing." Katara said softly to Aang, comforting him the best she could, "Zuko would have destroyed the whole place if we stayed. They're gonna be okay, Aang."

Xiaodan peered over the edge of ship, only listening to Katara's word with half an ear until the other girl's voice suddenly rose in pitch and she demanded what Aang was doing. The white-haired girl turned just as Aang dove into the water below them.

"Aang, you idiot!" Xiaodan shouted, getting ready to dive in after her little brother but Sokka's arms wrapping around his middle kept her in the saddle.

The three watched in disbelief and amazement as the unagi's head appeared above the water with hang clutching its whiskers like they were reins.

"Spirits…" Xiaodan muttered, feeling a mixture of pride, awe, and disbelief as she watched Aang direct the unagi to shoot a jet of water from its mouth at the burning village, successfully putting out the fires and soaking the Fire Nation soldiers.

Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka watched as the unagi tossed his head back and Aang let go of its whiskers, flying through the air and back onto Appa's side.

* * *

"Thank you, Avatar." Oyaji said softly as he watched the sky bison fly away from Kyoshi Island with the Avatar and his friends.

* * *

"I know, I know that was stupid and dangerous." Aang said as he climbed in Appa's saddle, sitting cross-legged in between the two Water Tribe siblings and across from Xiaodan.

"Yes, it was." Katara agreed with a slight smile on her face before she threw her arms around Aang and hugged him to her.

Aang gave a happy sigh and closed his eyes happily. A wide grin was on his face when the dark-haired girl pulled away, but the grin was quickly wiped from his face was Xiaodan suddenly smacked the back of his bald head.

"Ow!" The young boy yelped, turning to look at his big sister with a pout, "What was that for?"

"That was for scaring me half to death." Xiaodan snapped before pulling Aang into a tight embrace, "And this is for not die for doing something so stupid."

Aang chuckled and hugged the white-haired girl around the waist, "Sorry, big sister."

"Yeah, you better be." Xiaodan snapped and shoved him away from her, fixing him with a stern look, "Because if you do something like that again, that overgrown firebug will be the _**least**_ of your worry, mister."

"Yes, mother." Aang said with wide grin, ducking his head when the older Airbender took another swipe at his head.

Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Xiaodan looked at each other for a moment before they all simultaneously started laughing quietly as Appa flew towards the setting sun.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoo! Long chapter is long! Seriously not counting the author's note at the beginning and end, the chapter is over 8500+ words, seriously this story has the longest chapters out of all my stories. Anyhooties, I hope everyone like this chapter, next one should be out either later tonight or sometime tomorrow. It will take place in Season 1 Episode 5: The King of Omashu, so stay tuned for that my lovelies!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You rock!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**88dragon06: **Thank you, I'm glad you like Xiaodan and the story so far! I hope you like this chapter too!

**LadyAmazon: **Haha, I hope you like this chapter too!

**SoraLover987142: **Awesome! I hope you like this chapter too!

**Molly Grace 16: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Yeah, originally I was just gonna focus on the GAang but then I was like 'wait this is a Zuko/OC story, so that means I gotta have him in the chapters even if he's not technically anywhere near the GAang and because this story is just about my OC' and thus the parts where only Zuko is present in the episode where added to the story. Oh yeah, I've got Xia's backstory all planned out and I'm pretty sure no other ATLA author has ever done it before which is doubly awesome to me. I'm glad you think it's a good idea to put off any romance between Xia and Zuko until the second book is a good idea, I mean we already know those two are going to get together anyway, it's pretty obvious but it's gonna be a gradual thing, no rushing headlong into like a crazed hog-monkey with its tail on fire. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Iluvmycorgi22: **Thanks! Hope you like this chapter too!

**Anonymous Guest: **Er, I hope you like the story and I'll start on Always Sunny once I get over the bloody writer's block I have in regards to it. Anyhooties, hope you like this chapter!


	6. Chapter 6: The King of Omashu

**AN: Sixth chapter takes place during Season 1 Episode 5: The King of Omashu. Various POVs, enjoy lovelies!**

* * *

_**Previously on **__Open Your Mind:_

_Aang chuckled and hugged the white-haired girl around the waist, "Sorry, big sister."_

_"Yeah, you better be." Xiaodan snapped and shoved him away from her, fixing him with a stern look, "Because if you do something like that again, that overgrown firebug will be the __**least**__ of your worry, mister."_

_"Yes, mother." Aang said with wide grin, ducking his head when the older Airbender took another swipe at his head._

_Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Xiaodan looked at each other for a moment before they all simultaneously started laughing quietly as Appa flew towards the setting sun._

* * *

"The Earth Kingdom city of Omashu!" Aang said grandly as he stopped on the edge of the hill, his arms outstretched, nearly hitting Xiaodan—who was standing next to him—in the face with the back of his hand.

Sokka and Katara stared at the large city residing in the middle of the massive crater with wide, awestruck eyes and open mouths.

"Aang and I used to always come here to visit our friend Bumi." Xiaodan said, rocking on her heels excitedly, orange eyes taking in the familiarity of Omashu.

"Wow," Katara commented in amazement, "We don't have cities like this in the South Pole."

"They have buildings here that don't melt." Sokka stated as if the concept was hard to imagine, causing Xiaodan to snort in amusement.

"Well let's go, slowpokes." Aang said, just as excited as Xiaodan as he turned to face the two siblings standing behind him and Xiaodan, "The real fun is inside the city!"

Aang leapt down, about to slide the hill when Katara called out to him.

"Wait, Aang, it could be dangerous if people find out you're the Avatar."

"You need a disguise." Sokka suggested, earning a raised eyebrow from Xiaodan and a confused look from Aang.

"So, what is he supposed to do?" The white-haired girl asked drily.

"Grow a mustache?" Aang finished for her, his tone surprisingly just as dry.

The thoughtful look that appeared on Sokka's face unnerved Aang and Xiaodan.

* * *

Xiaodan bit her lip to keep from laughing as she looked Aang over. Sokka had used some of Appa's hair to create a wig and mustache for the young Airbender to where, successfully covering the blue arrow on his bald head. The white-haired girl thought Aang looked ridiculous, but she had to give Sokka credit for his quick thinking.

"Ugh, this is so itchy." Aang complained, scratching at his head under the wig then turning to look at Appa, "How do you live in this stuff?"

The sky bison turned his huge head toward the younger Airbender and snorted at him. A giggle escaped Xiaodan's lips which she was quick to cover in an effort to prevent more. The white-haired girl glanced over at Katara, who was standing beside her with a small smile on her face and her arms crossed over her chest, then Xiaodan looked over to Sokka on her other side. He was sitting on a rock with one arm resting on his knee as he looked over Aang critically.

"Great!" The Water Tribe boy said, "Now you look just like my grandfather."

"Technically," Katara started, glancing over at Sokka with amusement, "Aang is a hundred and twelve years old."

Aang kicked up his staff and twirled it around his body then in front of him before placing the end on the ground and hunching his back.

"Now, let's get to skipping, young whippersnappers." The young Airbender said in a fake, but convincing, old man voice, "The big city awaits!"

That was the last straw for Xiaodan and she threw her head back with a loud laugh, following after Aang at a languid pace as he shuffled along, using his glider as a walking stalk. Katara and Sokka exchanged glances before following after the two Airbenders.

* * *

"You guys are gonna love Omashu." Aang said, glancing over his shoulder at Sokka and Katara, "The people here are the friendliest in the world."

Sokka and Katara grinned at Aang, both eager to see the city the two Airbenders had been talking about on their way to the city.

"Rotten cabbages!" A harsh male voice shouted suddenly, "What kind of slum do you think this is?"

Xiaodan, Aang, Sokka, and Katara paused and watched as a guard harassed the cabbage merchant, first smashing the cabbage in his hands then kicking the other cabbages out of the merchant's hands, and finally Earthbending the cart full of the green vegetable into the air, off the road and into the valley below.

"No!" The cabbage merchant cried out, leaning over the side of the road and waving his arms, "My cabbages!"

Xiaodan's dark brows rose at the scene while Sokka, Katara, and Aang looked over the side of the road before turning back to face the guards.

"Just keep smiling." Aang said out of the corner of his mouth, a wide smile spreading across his mustached face as he began to shuffle closer to the guards in front of the entrance to Omashu, Xiaodan easily keeping in step with him.

Katara gave a nervous chuckle then she and Sokka followed at Aang and Xia, both grinning nervously.

As the two Airbenders approached the guards, the middle guard stepped forward and Earthbending a large boulder to come up from the road and hover above their heads.

"State your business." The guard demanded harshly.

Xiaodan stepped to the side and out from under the boulder while Aang used Airbending to rush towards the guard, poking him in the chest.

"My business is my business, young man and none of yours!" Aang scolded in his old man voice while Sokka and Katara looked on with wide eyes as the boulder fell back to the road, "Why I have half a mind to bend you over my knee and paddle your backside."

Xiaodan chocked back a laugh at the look on the guard's face, while Katara shook her head slowly and Sokka's mouth dropped open and his eye started twitching.

"Settle down, old timer." The guard said in a placating tone while Aang squinted up at him, "Just tell me who you are."

"Name's Bonzu Pippinpaddle-Oppsokopolis the Third!" Aang said, giving a false name to the guard, "And these are my grandkids."

Katara stepped forward sweet smile on her faces, while Sokka and Xiaodan stood behind her and Aang and watched the scene with raised eyebrows.

"Hi!" Katara greeted the guard enthusiastically, "June Pippinpaddle-Oppsokopolis, it's nice to meet you."

The dark-haired girl clasped her hands under her chin and smiled innocently up at the guard as he looked from her to Aang in his disguise.

"You look like responsible young lady." The guard said, pointing at Katara, "See that you're grandfather stays out of trouble. Enjoy Omashu."

"We will." Katara said with another smile as the four walked past the guards only to cringe when the guard called out.

"Wait a minute." The guard snapped, grabbing Sokka by the shoulder and turning him around, "You're a strong, young boy show some respect for the elderly and carry your grandfather's bag."

"Good idea." Aang said with a cheeky grin, hiding by his fake mustache as he tossed his bag over Sokka's shoulder and into his arms.

Xiaodan turned back around and covered her mouth to muffle the giggles threating to spill from her lips. She bit her lip and stood between Aang and Sokka as the walls in front of them were Earthbended open. The foursome walked into the city, the walls sealing shut behind them as they passed.

* * *

The four stared at the inside of Omashu with excited eyes, watching as carts made of stone shot past on stone chutes.

"This is the Omashu delivery system." Aang explained, gesturing to one of the passing carts, "Miles and miles of chutes."

"Earthbending brings the packages up." Xiaodan said, taking over the explanation, "And gravity brings them down."

"Great, so they get their mail on time." Sokka said drily, looking over at Xiaodan and Aang.

"They do get their mail on time." Aang confirmed, looking away from Sokka to stare up at the chutes with fond remembrance, "But my friend Bumi found a better use for these chutes."

Xiaodan giggled at the remembering expression on Aang's face and the white-haired girl had no doubt that he was remember the time Bumi had told them about using the mail chutes as a slide instead.

Xiaodan started walking and waved for the others to follow, "Come on, Aang, let's go show Sokka and Katara."

Aang grinned eagerly and hurried after her, "Come on guys, this is gonna be great!"

The two Water Tribe siblings looked at each other unsurely before following after the two excited Airbenders.

* * *

"One ride," Xiaodan said from her spot squished between Katara and Sokka.

"Then we're off to the North Pole, Airbender's honor." Aang finished for her from his spot in front of the mail cart the four of them were sitting in.

"This sounded like fun at first, but now that I'm here, I'm starting to have second tho-AH!" Katara started only to be cut herself off by screaming as the cart tipped forward and started racing down the chute.

"Whoo!" Xiaodan cheered, throwing her arms in the air while Aang laughed and the two siblings screamed.

The foursome become silent when they see the cart in the chute next to them is full of spears. This time they all scream in terror as the two chute merge and the spears come up behind the cart.

Sokka gasps as he looks back and ducks just as the spears nearly impale him. Xiaodan yelps slightly and leans forward, pressing her chest against Katara's back, who the presses closer to Aang, alerting him to the predicament they had found themselves in.

"I'm on it!" Aang said confidently as he began to rock the cart they were in until he's able to launch it out of the chute and they slide down the curved roof of a building below them.

"AH!" the four scream again as the cart bounces on the ground in front of a group of Earth Kingdom soldiers, causing Aang to kick Katara in the face and Katara to smack the back of her head into Xiaodan's nose who had to grab the front of Sokka's parka to keep him from falling out of the cart and past another chute. They slide across a couple more rooftops before landing back in one of the chutes going downward.

"Aang, do something!" Katara screams as they fly down the chute, "Use your Airbending!"

"Yeah! Good idea!" Aang said happily, "That'll make us go even faster!"

Aang slashes his arms in front of the cart which causes them to go even faster down the chute. The four start screaming again when as they slide down a particular steep part of the chute and there's another mail cart in front of them, sighing in relief when the Earthbender pushes the cart to the side only to start screaming again when he brings up another cart from the chute below.

The cart slams into the second cart, sending the four teens careening and Momo flying through the air. Thankfully, Aang twirls and uses his Airbending to bring the cart in front of them while Xiaodan uses her own Airbending to slow their descent back into the cart. They slide across a few more roofs before flying through a window, into what looks like a potter y shop then out the other window.

"Sorry!" Aang and Xiaodan shout behind them as the cart soars over a balcony and into another, thankfully, empty house except for the cat that was now fighting with Momo on Aang's head.

Momo pushed the cat off of Aang just as they crash sideways through a wall and land on the cabbage merchant's cart. Xiaodan groaned quietly from her spot underneath Katara and Aang and on top of Sokka.

"My cabbages!" The cabbage merchant screeches, "You're going to pay for this!"

"Two cabbages please." Aang comments as the four are surrounded by Omashu's guards.

* * *

Xiaodan kept her head bowed as she, Sokka, Katara, and Aang were lead into the King of Omashu's throne room. The two guards behind them pushed on their shoulders until the four friends sat on their knees in front of the king.

"Your majesty," The guard in front of the group began, "These juveniles were arrested for vandalism, traveling under false pretenses, and malicious destruction of cabbages."

"Off with their heads!" The cabbage merchant demanded, practically jumping in place and waving his fist over his head, "One for each head of cabbage!"

Xiaodan scrunched up her nose and subtly stuck her tongue out at the merchant.

"Silence!" the lead guard snapped at the man, "Only the king can pass down judgment. What is your judgment, sire?"

Everyone in the room turned towards the aged kind while he looked over the four perpetrators. Sokka stuck out his bottom lip and whimpered slightly and Katara had her hands clasped under her chin her blue eyes wide and innocent while she smiled sweet. The king looked to the white-haired girl who merely looked back at him curiously with her hands folded in her lap before his mismatched eyes sought out the last member of the group. Aang glanced at the king and scrunched up his nose then looked away and started whistling innocently.

"Throw them…"The king started, pointing a finger at the four teens, "A feast."

The guards gaped while the cabbage merchant slapped his hands over his face with a groan. Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Xiaodan looked first at the king then at each other in utter confusion.

"Huh?" Xiaodan and Aang chorused, giving each other befuddled looks.

* * *

"The people in my city have gotten fat from too many feasts." The aged king said, then picked up the chicken leg on Aang's plate, "So I hope you like your chicken with no skin."

"Thanks but Xia and I don't eat meat." Aang said cordially, sharing another glance with the white-haired Airbender.

"How about you? I bet you like meat." The king said to Sokka then shoved the chicken leg into his mouth before the young man could answer.

"Mm." Sokka muttered as he began eating the chicken happily.

"Is it just me, or is this guy's crown a little crooked?" Katara asked, looking over at Aang and Xiaodan while twirling her finger near her temple.

Xiaodan giggled and ducked her head to hide the smile that spread across her face.

"So tell me, young bald one," The king began as he took a seat at the large chair opposite the four teens, "Where are you from?"

"Uh, I'm from…Kangaroo Island!" Aang answered, causing Xiaodan to wince slightly and sigh.

"Oh, Kangaroo Island, eh? I hear that place is really hoppin'." The king said with a completely serious expression on his aged face as he leaned forward.

The four looked at him blankly until Sokka started to laugh madly, causing Xiaodan, Aang, and Katara to look at him.

"What?" Sokka asked, "It was pretty funny."

The king yawned suddenly pulling the teens attention towards him.

"Well, all these good jokes are making me tired." The king stated as he shifted in his seat, "Guess it's time to hit the hay."

Xiaodan yelped slightly and jerked to the side when the king launched a chicken leg at Aang, forcing the bald boy to catch it with Airbending out of reflex. The guards in the room gasped while the four teens stared at the king with wide eyes.

"There's an Airbender in our presence." The king said, a hint of smugness in his voice, "And not just any Airbender, the Avatar!"

Aang gaped at the king and jerked his hands under the table, causing the chicken leg to fall to his plate. Sokka, Aang, Katara, and Xiaodan stared at the king nervously as he retook his seat.

"Now, what do you have to say for yourself Mr. Pippinpaddle-Oppsokopolis?"

Aang swallowed thickly before standing and holding his hands up in the air.

"Okay, you caught me." He said cheerfully, "I am the Avatar, doing my Avatar-thing, keeping the world safe. Everything checks out, no Firebenders here."

Xiaodan groaned quietly and hit her forehead on the table as Aang continued to ramble after checking under the table. The king continued to watch the display with his hands folded in front of his mouth.

"So good work everybody. Love each, respect all life and don't ram it with your spears. We'll see you next time!" Aang said as he, Sokka, Katara, and Xiaodan walked backwards towards the entrance only for the guards to cross their spears and block them from escape.

The four froze and looked up at the spears then back to the king.

"You can't keep us here." Katara protested, "Let us leave."

"Lettuce leaf?" The king questioned, picking up the lettuce leaf on his plate and taking a bite out of it.

"We're in serious trouble." Sokka whispered to the others, "This guy is nuts."

"You're just realizing that?" Xiaodan hissed at him from the corner of her mouth, not taking her eyes off the crazy king.

Finished with the lettuce leaf the king began to speak again, "Tomorrow the Avatar will face three deadly challenges but for now, the guards will show you to your chamber."

"My liege," the guard standing beside the king asked, "Do you mean the good chamber or the bad chamber?"

"The newly refurbished chamber." The king responded, looking up at the guard.

"Wait, which one are we talking about?" The guard questioned, holding up a finger.

"The one that used to be the bad chamber," The king explained, "Until the recent refurbishing that is. Of course we've been calling it the new chamber. We really should number them…Uh, take the to the refurbished chamber that was once bad."

Xiaodan almost slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand as two guards lead the four teens out of the dining hall and to their chambers.

"Spirits…" The white-haired girl mumbled and closed her eyes in exasperation.

* * *

"Oof!" Xiaodan grunted when the guards pushed her, Sokka, Katara, and Aang into the room they would be staying in after using Earthbending to create a doorway, which was promptly shut as soon as the four were inside.

"This is a prison cell?" Katara questioned, looking around the nicely decorated room with four comfortable looking beds with green linens in the shape of a square with a small circular, yellow table in the middle, "But it's so nice."

Xiaodan quirked an eyebrow and walked further into the room, taking in the drapes above them in various shades of green and the green glowing crystals on the wall that served as lamps.

"It's certainly very, er, green." The white-haired girl commented.

"He did say it was newly refurbished." Aang added helpfully as Mom leapt off his shoulder and onto one of the beds.

"Nice or not, we're still prisoners." Sokka stated pessimistically.

Xiaodan looked over at him as she sat on the edge of the bed Momo was curled up on, "Has anyone ever told you that you are a pessimist?"

The Water Tribe boy merely scowled at her, which was all the answer Xiaodan really needed anyway.

"I wonder what these challenges are gonna be." Aang said, looking at his staff nervously.

"We're not sticking around to find out." Katara stated confidently with her hands on her hips, "There's gotta be some way out of here."

"The air vents!" Aang said excitedly pointing to the small holes in the wall.

Sokka, Katara, and Xiaodan looked at the tiny hole then back at Aang.

"If you think we're gonna fit through there, you're crazier than that king." Sokka snarked at Aang with a scowl.

Realization dawned on Xiaodan a moment later and grinning broadly, she jumped to her feet.

"We can't, but Momo can!" She exclaimed, gesturing to the flying lemur laying on the bed with a hand on his distended belly and licking an apple.

Aang walked over to the bed and leaned over the lemur, "Momo, I need you to find Appa and bust us outta here."

The lemur looked up at Aang with wide green eyes and chirped quietly.

* * *

Xiaodan watched from her position lying on one of the beds as Aang stood on a chair and attempted to shove Momo through the air vent.

"Go on boy," Aang said encouragingly as he continued to push the lemur into the too small hole, "Get Appa."

When the lemur wouldn't go any further Aang sighed and stopped pushing, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Eh, how was Appa supposed to save us anyway?" Sokka asked from his spot laying on the bed beside Xiaodan's.

"Pessimist." The white-haired girl mumbled drily, watching with slight amusement as Momo attempted to push himself out of the air vent with only his back feet before feeling pity for the poor lemur and getting up from the bed to help him.

"Appa is a ten-ton flying bison." Aang stated, "I think he could figure something out."

"Well, no point arguing about it now." Katara said as she climbed into one of the two vacant beds, "Get some rest, Aang."

"Yeah," Xiaodan piped in, walking back to the bed she had already claimed after pulling Momo from the air vent and cradling him in her arms, "It looks like you'll need it."

Aang sighed and climbed into the last bed, the one between Katara's and Xiaodan's, "Right."

* * *

The sound of the wall being Earthbended to create a door for the room woke Aang up.

"Xia? Sokka? Katara?" He called out, looking around the room through bleary eyes only to whirl around to face the guard when his eye sight cleared and he saw his sister and friends were gone, "Where are my friends?"

"The king will free them if you complete your challenges." Guard stated in a monotone.

"And if I fail?" Aang asked hesitantly.

"He didn't say." The guard responded, then held out his hand, "Your staff please."

Aang used his foot to kick up his staff and grab, twirling it for a moment then he tossed it to the guard, a frowning marring his young face.

'_I hope you guys are alright.' _He thought to himself as he followed the guard out of the room.

* * *

"First, Avatar," The crazy king began as he stood a few feet in front of Aang, "What do you think of my new outfit? I want your honest opinion."

Aang remained silent and someone in the room coughed.

"I'm waiting." The king said insistently, holding his arms out.

"I guess it's fine." Aang said, scratching his head and shrugging his shoulders.

"Excellent!" The king said happily, "You've passed the first test."

"Really?"

"Well…" The king said sheepishly, "Not one of the deadly tests. The real challenges are much more, uh, challenging."

Aang suddenly rushed forward, using Airbending to make his run faster and he skidded to a stop right in front of the kicking, wind blowing past him from his sudden movement.

"I don't have time for your crazy games!" Aang snapped, glaring at the king, "Give me my friends back. We're leaving!"

"Ooh, I thought you might refuse." The king drawled darkly, with mischievous smile on his wrinkled face, and a section of the wall was Earthbending away which revealed three guards holding Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan captive, "So I will give you friends some rather special souvenirs."

"Those delightful rings are made of pure jennamite, also known as creeping crystal." The king explained, watching as the guards slipped the rings onto the fingers of the Avatar's friends, "It's a crystal that grows remarkably fast. By nightfall your friends will be completely covered in it. Terrible fate really. I can stop it, but only if you cooperate."

Sokka yelped suddenly, looking at the dark blue crystal on his index finger as it grew, "Ah! It's already creeping."

Xiaodan rolled her eyes and glared at the purple crystal on her finger as it grew suddenly, creeping up over her knuckle.

"I'll do what you want." Aang agreed, looking away from his friends and back to the king with a stony expression.

The king smiled menacingly at the young Avatar, leaving Aang with a slight feeling of foreboding.

* * *

The crazy king laughed, standing at a balcony that overlooked the cave he had brought the four in for the first challenge. Aang was standing on a flat pillar a few feet from the giant waterfall in the middle of the cave, where a ladder was perched on another flat pillar with a key on a chain hung above it. The king glanced over his shoulder at the three teens, taking notice that the jennamite had already crept to their elbows.

The king turned back to the Avatar and began to speak, "It seems I've lost my lunch box key and I'm hungry."

"Oh, there it is!" The king pointed to the key in the hanging in the middle of the water fall, "Would you mind fetching it for me?"

Aang glared up at the crazy king for a moment before furrowing his brow and jumping from the flat pillar he'd been standing on, jumping and flipping from stalactite to stalactite on his way to the waterfall.

Finally reaching the waterfall, Aang dove right in and ran up the stalactite in the middle, grabbing the bottom rung of the ladder with one hand then he struggled to grasp the run with his other hand.

"Ooh, climbing the ladder, no one's thought of that before." The king said sarcastically as he watched Aang.

The force of the waterfall was too strong and his hand slipped from the ladder, sending him flying out of the cascade of water, towards the sharp stalactites.

"Aang!" Xiaodan yelped, leaning over the railing of the balcony and watching her little brother with wide orange eyes, sighing in relief when he caught himself between two stalactites using his hands and feet.

Aang breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the balcony where Katara, Xiaodan, and Sokka gave him encouraging smiles, even though the jennamite had already reached their shoulders. Taking a deep breath, the Airbender once again jumped from stalactite to stalactite, this time though he moved upwards towards the stalagmites at the top of the cavern. With his hands and feet pressed against two stalagmites, Aang looked down at the key in the middle of the water fall with his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth as he judged the distant. Taking another moment, he jumped away from the two stalagmites and dove towards the waterfall, using Airbending to spin and propel himself rapidly.

Unfortunately, that plan didn't work out to well since the force the water was falling with sent him off course and he was tossed out of the waterfall and into a stalactite, which he quickly clung to so that he didn't fall on the pointed tips of the stalactites below him.

"That's right, keep diving head." The king drawled, "I'm sure it will work eventually.

"You can do it, little brother!" Xiaodan cheered, throwing up her the arm that wasn't covered in the purple crystal.

Aang clung to the stalactite for a moment before a crazy idea hit and he gasped, looking back at the waterfall where the key was. The bald boy broke off the sharp tip of the stalactite he clung too then perched at the now flat top and leaning back slightly, Aang throws the stalactite tip like a dart at the key, then used the moment from the throw to spin himself around and send a crescent of air to propel the stalactite tip even further and slice through the cascading water, which revealed the key.

The stalactite pierced the middle of the chain holding the key before embedding itself in the arch above the entrance into the cavern where the key dangled right above the king's head.

"There!" Aang shouted, "Enjoy your lunch. I want my friends back now!"

"Oh, not yet." The king denied clasping his hands together, "I need help with another matter. It seems I've lost my pet Flopsie."

* * *

"Okay." Aang called out to the king standing in the area above the dirt pen he was in, where a white rabbit was sitting on a rock, "Found him."

"Bring him to me!" The king demands, then coos in a baby voice, "Daddy wants a kiss from Flopsie."

"C'mere Flopsie." Aang said and smiles slightly and started tip-toeing towards the rabbit with his arms outstretched only to freeze when a sudden thump sounds from behind him.

The young Airbender turned around slowly with a nervous chuckle and smile and looks up at the massive goat-gorilla standing behind him, the rabbit jumping away. The goat-gorilla growls and attempts to grab Aang, but the bald boy jumps into the air and flips so the massive beast only crushes the rock the rabbit had been sitting on.

Landing in a crouch, the rabbit hops past Aang with a terrified squeak.

"Flopsie, wait!" Aang calls out, chasing after the fleeing rabbit with the huge goat-gorilla right behind him, "Flopsie, wait!"

"Flopsie!" Aang shouts and turns sharply right after the rabbit, glancing over his shoulder at the quickly advance goat-gorilla before looking forward again just in time to see the rabbit head towards a hall in one the wall.

The Airbender dives forward in an attempt to grab the rabbit but the rabbit ducks into the hole, and with his arm still outstretched Aang hits the wall face first.

"Ouch." Xiaodan mumbled with a wince as she watched her brother, Sokka nodded in agreement.

"Wait a minute…" Aang mumbled as something dawns on him and he turns to look at the goat-gorilla after digging in the hole for the rabbit.

The young Avatar jumped to his feet and faced the charging, slobbering goat-gorilla who had almost reached him.

"Flopsie?" He asked hesitantly, then cringed backward and lifted his arms to cover his face when the monster was about to crash into him.

The goat-gorilla paused in his tracks and he looked down at the bald boy standing in front of him, his thin tail wagging happily. The beast took a step forward and scooped Aang up in a tender embrace and licks him happily.

"Flopsie!" Aang laughed and rubbed the goat-gorilla's head when a sudden whistling caused Flopsie to drop him and run towards the king.

Flopsie flopped onto his back in front of the kick, his arms and legs spread eagle as he laid on the ground.

"Oh that's a good boy," The king cooed and stepped towards the goat-gorilla, rubbing his belly, "Yes, who has a soft belly?"

Aang jumps onto the railing around the pit where Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan where standing, the crystals now covering the three from neck to ankle.

"Guys are you okay?" He asked, smiling slightly.

"Other than the crystal slowly encasing my entire body?" Katara snarked, "Doing great."

Aang turned to Xiaodan and Sokka just in time to see one side of the crystal encasing Sokka grow, causing him to tip over form the uneven weight.

"We'll be alright, little brother." Xiaodan said calmly and nodded towards where the crazy king was still rubbing the goat-gorilla's belly, "Find out what the next challenge is so we can get out of this stuff."

Aang nodded once and jumped down to where the king was, hands on his hip. The king stops cooing and rubbing his pet's belly and looks up at the young Avatar curiously.

"Come on, I'm ready for the next challenge." Aang stated confidently, his voice firm.

A grin spreads across the king's aged face as he looked at the young Airbender mischievously.

* * *

"Your finally test is a duel." The king states after leading Aang to a large arena, "And as a special treat, you may choose your opponent."

Two scary-looking men armed to the teeth with weapons and armor appeared on either side of the king, vicious smiles on their faces as they looked at Aang.

"Point and choose." The king says jovially with his hands folded in the long sleeves of his robe.

Aang looks at the two men with wide eyes before looking at the ground contemplatively, "So you're saying whoever I point to, that's the person I get to fight?"

The king cocked his head slightly, "Choose wisely."

Aang thinks for a moment, looking at the ground, then back to the men.

"I…choose" Aang starts looking at each of the men before his gaze stops on the king, "You."

The king chuckles and smiles darkly, "Wrong choice."

Aang, Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka all watch in horror-struck fascination as the king cracks his fingers then straightens his stooped back with a crack, his robes falling off him to reveal a startlingly muscular body.

Aang recoils and his eyes widen slightly in fear as he realizes his mistake while Sokka, Katara, and Xiaodan stare with wide eyes

"That is just too weird." Xiaodan mutters with a shake of her head, earning a noise of agreement from the Water Tribe siblings.

The king suddenly slams his foot down on the stone balcony he and Aang are on, causing a crack to appear which then shoots up a small geyser of dirt, launching Aang into the arena below the balconies.

"Ah!" Aang yelps as he flies through the air, hitting the ground then flipping over and skidding a few inches with a groan.

With a harsh laugh, the king jumps from the balcony and lands in front of Aang, the force of his landing creating a small crater around his feet while Aang looks up at him with a scared gasp.

"Aang!" Xiaodan shouted, struggling against the crystal encasing her body, fearing for her little brother's safety.

* * *

"You thought I was frail old man," The king mocks, looking down at Aang, "but I'm the most powerful you'll ever see!"

"Can I fight the guy with the axe instead?" Aang asked after getting to his feet and point to the warrior back on the balcony.

"There are no take-backsies in my kingdom." The king snaps, then points to the guard standing by Sokka, Katara, and Xiaodan, "You might need this!"

Quickly, Aang catches his staff that the guard threw down to him and started dodging the boulders the king began tossing at him.

"Typically Airbender tactic," The king taunts, pausing in his assault, "Avoid and evade. I'd hoped the Avatar would be less predictable!"

The king stomps his foot and a large boulder leaps from the ground which he quickly launched at Aang. The younger Airbender jumps in the air with a small yelp spinning his staff above his head rapidly.

"Don't you have any surprises for me?" the king demands, "Sooner or later, you'll have to strike back!"

The king kicks up another boulder then jumped up and kicked both his feet towards it, sending it up at the ceiling which caused it to break and small rocks to fall on Aang, knocking him out of the air. Aang fell to the hard ground, a small crater forming around his body as his staff fell a few feet away.

"Aang!" Xiaodan cried out again, worry gripping her heart as she watched her little brother struggle to pull himself to his feet, "You can do it, little brother!"

Looking up, Aang's gray eyes meet Xiaodan's orange ones and she nods once. Taking a deep breath the bald boy jumps to his feet and starts to race towards the king, dodging the sharp rocks that started to jut out of the arena's floor thanks to the king's Earthbending. The king causes a large rock to jut out of the ground and hits Aang in the stomach sending him into the air.

"Aw, you'll have to be a little more creative than that." The king taunts again, watching as Aang jumps from the rock and creates an air scooter.

On his air scooter, Aang charges the king, dodging the rocks sent his way before directing his air scooter of the wall and continuing towards the king. Once he was close enough, the Airbender pulls his arm back and sends crescent of air at the king, but the king pulls up a thick sheet of rock that blocks the air.

"Did someone leave the windows open?" The king jokes as he looks around the sheet of earth, "It feels a little drafty in here. Are you hoping I'll catch a cold?"

* * *

"What is he? The King of Bad Puns?" Xiaodan snarked, glaring over the crystal that had grown past her nose.

Sokka snorted and would have shaking his head if it wasn't encased in crystal.

* * *

The king knocked the slab of earth over and created a wave of rocks underneath it which he sent at Aang. The young Avatar tried to avoid it but the wave lurched upward and knocked him back to the ground, causing him to bounce a few times before landing on his feet. The king slammed his fist in to the ground and sent a stream of earth at him and Aang flips backwards, kicking off the wall then grabbing his staff as he flipped past before landing on his feet again.

"How are you going to get me from way over there?" The king asks jeeringly.

Frowning Aang begins to charge the king, holding his staff like a bat but the king Earthbends the ground into sand, causing Aang to sink up to his waist. Then the king brings two of the larger boulders around the arena towards where Aang was stuck, slamming them together. Fortunately, Aang used his Airbending to spin out of the sand he had been stuck in and jumped over the two rocks and swung his staff downward, sending a power gust of wind at the king and knocking him and the flat piece of rock her was standing on into the wall of th wall below the balcony.

Suddenly the king jerks the large rock he'd created when trying to crush Aang between two smaller ones towards him in an attempt to hit the bald boy, but Aang saw the attack and leapt upward, curving his body around the rock so that he practically slide along it. The king gasped and was just able to turn the large boulder into harmless dirt before it him in.

With a grunt of effort the king began to Earthbend the middle balcony from its place in the wall and moved it so it hovered just above him.

"Ah!" Aang shouts and began to run in a circle with his staff held diagonally across his chest, using his Airbending to increase his speed and until he creates a tornado. The king launches the massive chunk of earth at Aang but the tornado redirects it back at him. With a gasp the king slams his hands together and cuts the mound of earth in two but Aang leaps out of the dust created by the tornado and rock and points the end of his staff at the king's throat, effectively pinning him.

Aang looks at him with a smirk but the king grins back at him and looks up. A pebble falls on his head and the young Airbender blanched when he sees the large boulder hovering above the king and him.

The king chuckles lowly, "Well done, Avatar. You fight with much fire in your heart."

The king turns and tosses the mound away then falls backward through the earth, only to appear on the balcony a crystal covered Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka were standing on. Jumping and twirling his staff, Aang lands on the balcony in front of the king, his glider behind his back.

"You've passed all my tests." The king states, placing his hands on his hips as he looks at the Avatar, "Now you must answer one question."

"That's not fair!" Aang protested instantly, glaring at the king, "You said you would release my friends if I finished your tests."

"Aw, but what's the point of tests if you don't learn anything." The king drawled mischievously.

"Oh come on!" Sokka groaned from behind the king.

"Answer this one question and I will set your friends free." The king said, gesturing to the three crystal covered teens behind him, "What…Is my name?"

Aang recoiled and bit his lip.

"From the looks of your friends, you only have a few minutes." The king noted as he walked away from the four friends.

Aang turned to look at his friends, his expression full of confusion, "How am I supposed to know his name?"

"Think about the challenges." Katara suggested, "Maybe it's some kind of riddle."

"I got it!" Sokka exclaimed suddenly and the other three turned to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"He's an Earthbender right? Rocky!" Sokka explained excitedly, "You know because of all the rocks!"

Xiaodan's eye twitched slightly and she glared at Sokka, "If I could move my hands right now, Sokka, I would smack you."

"We're gonna keep trying, but that is good backup." Katara stated, feeling desperate.

"Okay, so back to the challenges." Aang said, looking at his staff as he thought, "I got a key from a waterfall, I saved his pet, and I had a duel."

"And what did you learn?" Katara asked.

"Well…" Aang muttered, "Everything was different than I expected."

"And?" Katara encouraged just as a part of the crystal grew and began to cover her face.

"Well, they weren't straightforward." Aang muttered, placing his fist against his chin as he thought, "To solve each test, I had to think differently then I usually would."

"That's it!" Xiaodan exclaimed just as Aang snapped his finger and said, "I know his name."

* * *

"I solved the question the same way I solved the challenges." Aang stated as he stood in front of the king—who was wearing his robes again—back in the throne room, "As you said a long time ago, I had to open my brain to the possibilities."

The king started to laugh loudly, snorting and hiccupping.

"Bumi," Aang said blandly before grinning widely at the laughing king, "You're a mad genius."

Aang rushed forward and hugged his old friend around the waist.

"Oh, Aang," Bumi mumbled, hugging his friend as well, "It's good to see you. You haven't changed a bit. Literally."

"Uh, over here!" Katara called out, the jennamite crystals having almost complete encased her, Sokka, and Xiaodan.

"Little help!" Sokka added.

"Please." Xiaodan piped in.

Bumi jerked his hand and the crystals shattered, Bumi catching one of the piece that came flying towards him.

"Jennamite is made of rock candy." Bumi stated and took a bite out of the piece of crystal in his hand, "Delicious!"

"Bumi!" Xiaodan exclaimed, rushing forward and throwing her arms around the old king, causing him to laugh, "I missed you!"

"Xia!" Bumi laughed hugging the white-haired girl to him, "I missed you too, Xia. You haven't changed a bit either."

The white-haired girl smiled up at him and moved to stand beside Aang, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"So this crazy king," Katara started, "Is your guys' old friend Bumi?"

"Who you calling old?" Bumi demanded before sighing, "Okay, I'm old."

"Why did you do all this?" Sokka questioned confusedly, "Instead of just telling Aang who you were?"

"First of all, it's pretty fun messing with people." Bumi said with a snorted laugh, "But I do have a reason."

Bumi turned to Aang and Xiaodan, looking at them seriously, "Aang, you have a difficult task ahead. The world has changed in the hundred years you and Xia have been gone. It's the duty of the Avatar to restore balance to the world by defeating Fire Lord Ozai. You have much to learn, you must master the four elements and confront the Fire Lord and when you do, I hope you will think like a mad genius."

"Don't worry, Bumi, I'll make sure to remind him to." Xiaodan quipped, patting Aang's head affectionately.

Aang and Xia smile up at Bumi and place their fists against their opposite palms and fold their fingers over them then bow to the king of Omashu, then the two Airbenders straighten.

"And it looks like you're in good hands." Bumi comments looking of at the two siblings then back at Aang and Xia, "You'll need your friends to help you defeat the Fire Nation."

Momo suddenly leaps onto Aang's shoulder, wrapping his tail around the bald boy's head and placing one of his hands on the Xia's shoulder.

"And you'll need Momo too." Bumi added, nodding to the lemur.

"Thank you for you wisdom." Aang said with a smirk and cocks his head to the side, "But before we leave, I have a challenge for you."

* * *

"Whoo!" The three friends yelled as the mail cart Xiaodan, Aang and Bumi were sitting in raced down the chute, laughing and cheering even when they crashed into the cabbage merchant's cart again, just like old times.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoo! Sixth chapter is finished! I hope I did Bumi justice in this chapter, he's a fun character write. Anyhooties, next chapter will take place during Season 1 Episode 6: Imprisoned and that chapter should be posted sometime tomorrow, so stay tuned for that!**

**PS – if anyone wants to see what Xiaodan kinda looks like here's a link (just without the spaces of course) **

**s1134 . photobucket albums/m606/ PyromanicPanda6661/Anime/ Yu%20Yu% 20Hakusho/?action=view¤t= Warrior_Girl_by_maxarkes . jpg**

**PSS – Yes, those are the markings/tattoos Xia has and no, Xia is not wearing that armor or has that weapon in the story. Just imagine in her in a darker version of Aang's clothes, meaning dark gold and dark orange instead of canary yellow and neon orange. Also if the link doesn't work here, then another one will be posted on my profile! **

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You are awesome!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Molly Grace 16: H**aha, I know right? It's usually hilarious when something bad happens to Sokka, because he kinda brings it on himself will all his negativity. Well, since the challenges were meant for the Avatar, I decided to have Xia as a hostage instead since she's, you know, _not_ the Avatar and she didn't really need to learn the life lesson that Aang did, since she's not the one that's going to find Ozai. If that makes sense? And to answer you other question, Xia's double bending will most likely be introduced near the end of the Book Two and I haven't decided if Aang is aware of Xia being a duel-bender (which by the way is much better term for her than a double-bender, so thank you for introducing that term to me). Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Nope, but then again it was only a minor burn. You know like the ones that hurt like a mofo for the first ten minutes then stop hurting and fade like a day later? That was the type of burn Xia had on her arms. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**LadyAmazon: **I love Bumi, he's awesome and I seriously there were more episodes with him because he's just so awesome. I hope I did him justice in this chapter and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Anonymous Guest: **Your wish is my command, anon reviewer! I hope you like this chapter!


	7. Chapter 7: Imprisoned

**AN: Seventh chapter takes place during Season 1 Episode 6: Imprisonment. Various POVs, enjoy lovelies!**

_**Previously on **__Open Your Mind:_

_"Whoo!" The three friends yelled as the mail cart Xiaodan, Aang and Bumi were sitting in raced down the chute, laughing and cheering even when they crashed into the cabbage merchant's cart again, just like old times._

* * *

Xiaodan kneeled beside Katara, folding one of the bedrolls while the dark-haired girl folded the other one. Aang was lounging on a thick root of a downed tree, his hands behind his head while he listened to the relaxing sound of the water trickle from under the rock they had camped on and into the tiny stream. Momo suddenly appeared and flew towards the white-haired girl, landing on her shoulder and curling his tail around her neck, Sokka walking not far behind. Once the older Water Tribe sibling reached the flat rock they had camped on the other night, he kneeled in front of his sister and Xiaodan, opening the drawstring bag in his hand.

"Great you're back!" Aang commented happily as he jumped from the root and landed between the siblings, "What's for dinner?"

"We've got a few options." Sokka replied, reaching into the bag and pulling out a nut, "First round nuts and some kind of oval shaped nuts and some rocked shaped nuts that might just be rocks."

Xiaodan quirked an eyebrow and folded her hands in her lap, swatting Momo away from her when he started eating her hair, then she watched Sokka continue to dig in the bag after tossing what looked like a rock over his shoulder, which Momo looked at curiously after finishing the leaf he'd been eating.

"Dig in." The young man said, smiling at the others proudly after emptying the bag.

"Seriously," Katara asked, looking at the nuts in her hands then at her brother, "What else ya got?"

Sokka frowned and dug into the sack while Xiaodan sighed quietly and looked at Momo, who had picked up the rock Sokka tossed over his shoulder and tap it against the boulder he was sitting near. The white-haired girl watched the lemur slam the pebble against the larger rock when a loud _**BOOM **_startling the lemur, the four teens, and Appa.

"What was that?" Sokka demanded, looking over his shoulder in the direction of the noise.

Xiaodan's eyes narrowed and she saw Momo dropped the pebble on the rock out of the corner of her eye as the four friends got to their feet.

_**BOOM!**_

Momo chittered and leapt onto the root Aang had been laying on early, his ears pinned back.

"It's coming from over there!" Aang said excitedly, pointing in the direction of the noise.

Xiaodan jumped off the rock and started running towards the noise, Katara and Aang right on her heels, leaving Sokka kneeling on the rock.

"Shouldn't we run away from huge booms not toward them?" Sokka demanded as he waved his arms over his head only to groan when Momo flew after the other three teens.

* * *

Xiaodan, Aang, and Katara peered over a fallen log, looking at the source of the loud noises. The white-haired girl smirked slightly when she saw Momo land on Aang shoulder then Sokka appeared on her right side. Xiaodan turned back to the source of the noise and gave a low whistle as she and her friends watched a young man use Earthbending to slam a large boulder into the side of the small ravine he was in, the loud booming sound reaching their ears when the boulder connected with the ravine wall.

"An Earthbender." Katara whispered in awe.

"Let's go meet him!" Aang suggested eagerly, smirking over at Katara.

"He looks dangerous, we better approach cautiously." Sokka warned ineffectively from beside Xiaodan.

"Too late for that." Xiaodan muttered and flicked her fingers towards where Katara was now standing a few feet from the mysterious Earthbender.

"Hello there!" The young Waterbender called out, "I'm Katara. What's your name?"

Xiaodan watched as the boy looked back, his expression becoming worried as the boulder he'd been raising dropped back to the ground and he turned around. The boy ran down the ravine and jumped, lifting his arms briefly which caused a bunch of boulders to fall into the ravine and block the path behind him.

"Nice to meet you!" Aang shouted as he, Sokka, and Xiaodan approached Katara.

"Well, that could have gone better." Xiaodan quipped in amusement from her spot beside Sokka, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked to where the boy had run to.

"I just wanted to say 'hi.'" Katara muttered with a confused shrug of her shoulders.

"Hey!" Aang exclaimed suddenly, "That guy's gotta be running somewhere, maybe we're near a village? And I bet that village has a market."

"Which means no nuts for dinner!" Katara finished Aang's thoughts excitedly and the two younger members of the foursome ran in the same direction the enigmatic Earthbender had run in.

"Hey!" Sokka protested, crossing his arms over his chest, "I worked hard to get those nuts."

Xiaodan patted Sokka's shoulder empathetically before following after Aang and Katara while Momo flew over Sokka's head with a soft chitter.

Sokka's shoulders slumped and he trailed after the other three, "Yeah, I hate 'em too."

* * *

Xiaodan looked around the small village curiously then smiled when she saw Aang holding a straw hat in his hands.

"Great hat," The bald boy said with a grin, "I'll trade you some nuts for it."

The white-haired girl shook her head at her little brother and turned to look at Katara, only to see the dark-haired girl head towards a shop across the street. Glancing over her shoulder and seeing Sokka and Aang occupied, Xiaodan followed after the young Waterbender into the shop.

"Hey, you're that kid." Katara said as soon as she entered the shop while Xiaodan slipped past her and walked further into the shop and leaned against the wall near the window.

The white-haired girl watched as the mysterious boy from before turned around with a small gasp of surprise.

"Why did you run away before?" Katara asked, gesturing slightly with her hands to express her confusion.

"Uh, you must have me confused with some other kid." The boy stated, looking away from Katara as Sokka and Aang entered the shop through the still open door.

"No she doesn't." Aang said, stepping forward so he was standing beside Katara, "We saw you Earthbending."

The boy and the older woman that was obviously his mother gasped and suddenly rushed forward.

"Whoa!" Xiaodan squeaked quietly and moved to stand next Aang when the woman darted past her to slam the door then the window closed.

"They saw you doing _what_?" The boy's mother demanded, looking away from the small crack in the window and towards her son.

"They're crazy, Mom," The boy tried to defend himself then gestured towards the four, "I mean look at how their dressed."

Xiaodan snorted when Aang started adjusting his hat while Sokka and Katara looked at their Water Tribe clothes self-consciously.

"You know how dangerous that is!" The woman scolded her son in a fearful tone, completely disregarding what he said a moment ago, "You know what would happen if _**they**_ caught you Earthbending!"

"What would happen? Xiaodan asked curiously, "And whose 'they?'"

"Open up!" A male voice demanded from outside followed by the sound of the person banging on the door.

The mother and son tensed while Sokka moved over to the window and opened the blinds slightly.

"Fire Nation!" He hissed, closing the slats quickly, "Act natural."

Xiaodan moved over to the shelves on the left side of the store and pretended to examine the shelves while Aang leaned against a barrel next to her, Katara ate a berry from a bowl of berries, and Sokka and Haru examined an apple.

"Oh yeah, that looks natural." Xiaodan murmured just as Haru's mother opened the door and a large man in the Fire Nation military uniform stepped into the store and looked around, observing the five teenagers.

Xiaodan winced when the lid of the barrel Aang was leaning against flipped, causing him to lose his balance and fall against the barrel.

"What do you want?" Haru's mother demanded angrily, "I've already paid you this week."

"The tax just doubled." The Fire Nation soldier said as he looked over at the woman with a sneer as fire formed between his hands, "And we wouldn't want an accident, would we?"

Xiaodan took a few steps forward so she was between the soldier and Aang, just in case.

"Fire," The man said darkly as the fire dance around between his hands before disappearing, "It's sometimes so hard to control."

Haru's hard expression faded and became a defeated one as she looked at the ground, before walking around the counter and taking out the money box. Xiaodan, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Haru all watched as Haru's mother took the small amount of money from the box and placed it in the Fire Nation soldier's hand.

"You can keep the copper ones." He sneered and dropped the copper coins on the floor as he walked out of the store.

"What a jerk." Xiaodan muttered with a scowl as walked over to help the older woman pick up the copper coins from the floor.

"Nice guy." Sokka muttered then turned to Haru and his mother, "How long has the Fire Nation been here."

"Five years." Haru's mother responded as she stood, smiling slightly in gratitude when Xiaodan placed the coins she had picked up in her calloused hand, "Fire Lord Ozai uses our town's coal mines to fuel his ships."

"I'm really starting to dislike this guy." Xiaodan whispered to Aang after she had returned to his side, the younger Airbender nodding in agreement.

"They're thugs." Haru snapped suddenly, glaring at the floor and crossing his arms over his chest, "They steal from us and everyone here is too much of a coward to do anything about it."

"Quiet, Haru!" His mother instantly scolded, "Don't talk like that."

"But Haru's an Earthbender, he can help." Katara stated, looking at the mother and son in confusion.

"Earthbending is forbidding." The woman snapped harshly, "It's caused nothing but misery for this village. He must never use his abilities.

"How can you say that?" Katara demanded as she walked towards the young Earthbender, "Haru has a gift. Asking him not to Earthbend is like asking me not to Waterbend. It's a part of who we are."

"It's like asking someone who's right handed not to use their right hand." Xiaodan explained softly, her arms folded over her chest as she looked at the older woman.

"You don't understand." The mother said firmly with a shake of her head.

"I understand that Haru can help you fight back." Katara stated passionately, "What can the Fire Nation do to you that they haven't done already?"

"They could take Haru away." Haru's mother said sadly, pressing her hand against her chest, "Like they took his father."

Xiaodan pursed her lips and furrowed her brow when she saw Haru frown and close his eyes, looking away from Katara's compassionate gaze.

* * *

"My mom said you can sleep here tonight," Haru said after leading the four friends to the barn on their farm, "But that you should leave in the morning."

"Thanks." Aang said with a smile, then gestured to Appa who was already munching on the hay in the barn, "Xia and I will make sure Appa doesn't eat all your hay."

The sky bison paused in his chewing and turned to look at the teens for a moment before continue to eat the hay, as if daring the two Airbenders to try and stop him.

Xiaodan snorted and rolled her eyes at the bison, before moving sprawling on a pile of hay far from where Appa was eating. The white-haired girl quirked an eyebrow when she saw Katara walk away with Haru.

"Teenagers." The older Airbender sighed quietly with mock exasperation then snickered then made herself comfortable on the hay she was laying in.

* * *

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier." Katara apologized as she and Haru walked away from the barn, "I didn't know about your father."

"That's okay." Haru said quietly, "It's funny, the way you were talking back in the store, it reminded me of him."

Katara looked down with a small smile, "Thanks."

"My father was very courageous." Haru commented, "When the Fire Nation invaded, he and the other Earthbenders were outnumbered ten-to-one, but they fought back anyway."

"He sounds like a great man." The young Waterbender complimented, giving Haru a soft smile as she followed him up small incline.

"After the attack, they rounded up my father and every other Earthbender and took them away." He explained quietly, kneeling near the edge of the small cliff they were standing on, "We haven't seen them since."

"So that's why you hide your Earthbending."

"Yeah." Haru agreed and picked up a couple of pebbles from the ground and making them move in a circle with Earthbending, "The problem is, the only way I can feel close to my father now is when I practice my bending. He taught me everything I know."

Katara took a seat beside the despondent Earthbender and touched her necklace, "See this necklace? My mother gave it to me."

"It's beautiful." Haru said softly as he looked at the dark-haired girl.

"I lost my mother in a Fire Nation raid." Katara looked to the side, away from Haru, "This necklace is all I have left of her."

"It's not enough, is it?" He questioned, looking back at the sunset.

"No…"

* * *

Katara and Haru watched in shock as a billow of dust exploded from the entrance to the mine.

"Help!"

"The mine!" Haru shouted rushing down the small incline towards the collapsed mine and the cry for help, Katara right at his heels.

"Help me!" An elderly man called out and tried to pull him lower body out from under the pile of dirt and rocks.

Katara gasped and quickly kneeled beside the man and began pulling while Haru put his back against supports to keep them from completely collapsing on the man.

"It's not working." Katara said, looking up at Haru, "We have to get help."

"There's no time! Pull harder!"

"Haru, there's a way you can help him." Katara pleaded as she looked up at him.

"I can't." The young Earthbender protested, his eyes showing how torn he was.

"Please!" Katara begged, "There's no one around to see you. It's the only way."

Haru looked way from the young girl and at the ground, internally debating with himself. Coming to a decision, Haru moved away from the support beams and stood in front of the mine, his feet shifting into the familiar stance. Sucking in a deep breath, the teenager twisted around then thrusted both of his fists towards the mine, Earthbending the rocks, dirt, and everything else off of the man and into the mine shaft.

"Haru, you did!" Katara stated ecstatically with a wide smile on her face.

Haru gave a small, proud smile before moving to help Katara help the old man to his feet and take him back to the village to get treatment.

* * *

"It was so brave of Haru to use his Earthbending to help that old man." Katara said softly, looking at the lamp in her hands with a fond smile.

"You must have really inspired him." Aang stated with a smile.

"I guess so."

"Everyone should get some sleep." Sokka cut in, "We're leaving at dawn."

"Joy." Xiaodan mumbled tiredly from her sprawled out form on Appa's head, next to Aang.

"Dawn?!" Katara demanded, "Can't we sleep in for once?"

"Absolutely not!" Sokka snapped, looking over his shoulder at his sister, "This village is crawling with Fire Nation troops. If they discover her, Aang, we'll be eating fireballs for breakfast. Goodnight."

"I'd rather eat fireballs than nuts." Katara snipped, smirking at her brother.

"_**Goodnight!**_"

Katara, Aang, and Xiaodan giggled quietly for a few moments before the dark-haired girl blew out the lamp in her lap. Xiaodan yawned, curling up slightly and with Aang's back pressed against hers, the two Airbenders drifted off to sleep, unbeknownst of what was about to transpire.

* * *

Haru gasped as he opened the door and saw the old man he and Katara had saved earlier that day standing in front of a group of Fire Nation soldiers.

"That's him." The old man said, point at Haru, "That's the Earthbender."

The man was shoved aside by the higher ranking soldier grabbed Haru by the shoulders and yanked him from the house.

* * *

Stepping out of the barn, Katara walked over to the water pump just outside the barn to refill their water jug in preparation for their journey. Smiling slightly, the dark-haired girl Waterbending the water from the pump and into the jug then she bent down to pick it up, pausing once she straightened and saw Haru's mother looking out at the ocean.

Katara's smile faded from her face when Haru's mother turned towards her and the girl saw the tears streaming down the woman's cheeks, the clay jug falling to the ground and shattering as realization hit her.

* * *

"They took him!" Katara cried out as she pushed the barn door open, "They took Haru away."

"What?" Aang and Xiaodan chorused as they got to their feet.

"The old man turned him in to the Fire Nation." Katara exclaimed, closing her eyes and shaking her head, "It's all my fault, I forced him into Earthbending."

"Slow down, Katara." Sokka soothed, stepping towards his crying sister and wrapping his arm around her shoulders, "When did this happen?"

Katara took her hand from her face and looked up at her older brother, "Haru's mother said they came for him at midnight."

"Then it's too late to track him." Sokka stated, "He's long gone."

"We don't need to track him." Katara said as she stepped away from her brother and began pacing, "The Fire Nation is going to take me right to Haru."

"And why would they do that?" Aang questioned, while Xiaodan just looked on curiously.

"Because they're going to arrest me for Earthbending."

Sokka, Aang, and Xiaodan exchanged glances then looked back at the determined Waterbender standing in front of them.

With a sigh, Xiaodan stepped forward and crossed her arms over her chest, a smile tugging at her lips, "Alright, what do we have to do?"

Katara gave the older girl a grateful smile and turned to the boys to explain her plan.

* * *

"I thought you were crazy at first, Katara." Sokka stated as he, Katara, and Xiaodan rolled a large boulder over one of the mine vents in the ground, "But this might work."

"There are ventilation shafts throughout these mines," the boy explained, placing his hand on Katara's shoulder, "All Aang and Xia have to do is send an air current from that vent to this one right here. The boulder levitates and _ta-d_a! Fake Earthbending."

"Aang did you get all that?" Katara asked, turning to look at the boy who was leaning against the rock the other vent was behind.

"Sure, sure." Aang agreed, using Airbending to play with a butterfly, "I got it."

"Do you remember your cue?" Sokka asked skeptically.

"Yeah, yeah, just relax." Aang stated, "You're taking all the fun out of this."

"By this do you mean intentionally being captured by an army of ruthless Firebenders?" Sokka asked drily, hands on his hips.

"Exactly." Aang agreed, "That's fun stuff."

Xiaodan shook her head with an amused smile and patted Katara on her arm, "Don't worry, I'll be there to keep him on track."

Katara smiled gratefully at the older girl and nodded. Xiaodan grinned widely and hurried behind the rock with Aang.

"Here they come." Sokka called out, "Get in your places."

Aang and Xiaodan quickly crouched on either side of the vent and waited for their cue, while Sokka and Katara purposefully ran into each other.

"Get out of my way, pipsqueak!" Sokka snapped in a fake angered voice, pointing at Katara's face.

"How dare you call me pipsqueak, you giant eared cretin." Katara snapped right back, causing Xiaodan to bit her bottom lip and cover her mouth with one hand to keep from giggling aloud.

"What did you call me?" Sokka demanded, glancing at the Fire Nation soldiers that were watching them with curious expressions.

"A. Giant. Eared. Cretin!" Katara said, enunciating each insult then gesturing at Sokka's ears, "Look at those things. Do herds of animals use them for shade?"

"You better back off!" Sokka yelled then leaned forward, using the back of his hand to hide his mouth as he whispered, "Seriously, back off."

"I will not back off!" Katara shouted, leaning forward to tower over Sokka, "I bet elephants get together and make fun of how large your ears are!"

"That's it! You're going down!"

"I'll show you who's boss!" Katara cried out dramatically, "Earthbending style!"

* * *

"I said, EARTHBENDING STYLE!"

Xiaodan had resorted to biting her knuckle to keep from laughing as Sokka and Katara's 'fight' progressed but she quickly released her knuckle and kicked Aang in the leg when Katara gave them their cue. The two Airbenders slammed their hands down on the vent, sending two gusts of air ventilation pipes, causing the boulder on the other vent to rise up right when Momo happened to be raising his arms.

"That lemur…" The lead soldier said in awe as he pointed at Momo, "He's Earthbending."

Xiaodan almost smacked herself in the forehead at that. She wondered if all Fire Nation soldiers had become stupid in the hundred years she and Aang had been in the iceberg.

"No you idiot, it's the girl!" Sokka snapped, gesturing to Katara with his hands and an exasperated look on his face.

"Oh," The soldier said, a blush forming on his face, "Of course."

"I'll hold her." Sokka said as he stepped behind Katara and grabbed her by the shoulders, then leaned down to whisper in her ear, "You've got twelve hours to find Haru. We'll be right behind you."

The Fire Nation soldiers grabbed Katara and started leading her away, leaving Sokka, Aang and Xiaodan to stare after her worriedly. Katara glanced back at them and saw Xiaodan give her an encouraging smile.

* * *

Xiaodan, Aang, and Sokka watched the soldiers lead Katara away with worried expressions on their faces, until Sokka started tugging on his ears.

"Momo, you have some big ears." The Water Tribe boy stated, pointing at the lemur who pinned his ears against his skull.

Without even looking, Xiaodan reached behind Aang and smacked Sokka upside the head, "Leave Momo's ears alone cretin."

Sokka yelped and rubbed at his head with a pout, glaring at the white-haired girl who merely giggled behind her hand.

* * *

Katara glanced back at the harbor where she could see Xiaodan, Aang, and Sokka standing amongst the villagers with straw hats covering their faces as she rode in a cart with the Fire Nation soldiers towards a Fire Nation ship at the end of the dock. The soldiers had forced her to wear a long, brown tunic that was tied with brown belt over her Water Tribe dress, apparently signaling that she was an Earthbender.

* * *

Xiaodan and Sokka looked over the edges of the saddle, keeping the prison rig in their sights while Aang steered Appa through the sky after the metal ship, which was heading towards the large rig miles from the small Earthbending village in the middle of the ocean.

"Whoa…" Xiaodan whistled lowly as Aang flew Appa closer to the prison rig, "That place looks fun."

"She'll be fine, Aang." Sokka said in an attempt to reassure the worried boy, "Katara knows what she's doing?"

"I sure hope so…" Xiaodan muttered as Aang remained silent and steered Appa back towards the village where the trio would wait until nightfall before going back to the rig and getting Katara.

* * *

"Earthbenders, it is my pleasure to welcome you aboard my modest shipyard," An man in his late forty with gray hair greeted the newly arrived prisoners, his hands clasped behind his back as he stopped in front of them, "I am your Warden. I prefer to think of you, not as prisoners but as honored guests. And I hope you come to think of me as your humble and caring host."

"You will succeed here if you simply abide by-" The Warden paused when the prisoner next to Katara began to cough violently into his hands, his slightly aged face turning sour as he whirled around and set a blast of fire from his foot at the man who had coughed.

The man gasped quietly and jumped back with a cringe, only a foot or so from the edge of the metal platform they stood as he stared at the scorch mark in the metal with fearful eyes.

"What kind of guest dishonors his host by interrupting him?" The Warden demanded cruelly before waving his hand at the man, "Take him to below! One week in solitary will improve his manners."

Katara watched as the man was led away by one of the guards on the rig just as the Warden began speaking again.

"Simply treat me with the courtesy I give you," The man said sarcastically as he stopped in front of Katara and leaned closer to her, "And we'll get along famously."

The dark-haired girl glared up at him with pursed lips and the Warden smirked slightly before turning and gesturing for the guard to beginning leading them to the rest of the prisoners on the rig.

"You will notice, Earthbenders that this rig is made entire of metal. You are miles away from any rock or earth." The Warden explained smugly, "So if you have any illusions of employing that brutish savagery that passes for bending for you people. Forget them. It is impossible."

"Good day." The Warden said coldly then turned and walked away as the guards ushered the newest prisoners through the hallway that lead to where the rest of the prisoners resided, the metal doors locking them in.

* * *

Katara looked around the area with stricken blue eyes, taking in the despondent and hunched forms of the other prisoners as they either chatted softly or sat silently by themselves. The girl walked forward a few steps, eyes roving the faces of the prisoners in search of Haru.

"Katara?"

The dark-haired girl turned and relief flooded through her when she saw the young Earthbender get to his feet, dressed in the same brown tunic as she was.

"Haru!" Katara exclaimed quietly, rushing forward and hugging the older boy happily.

"What are you doing here?" Haru asked, looking at the Water Tribe girl curiously as she pulled away.

"It's my fault you were captured." Katara admitted sadly before looking at him with determination, "I came to rescue you."

The young man jolted in surprise, his green eyes widening as he looked at the girl in front of him, "So you got yourself arrested?!"

"It was the only way to find you."

"You've got guts, Katara, I'll give you that." He stated with a soft chuckle as he crossed his arms over his chest before reaching out and taking her shoulder, "Come on, there's someone I want you to meet."

Katara smiled and let Haru lead her to where four people were sitting in a semi-circle on the hard metal floor of the rig near the food table.

"Katara, this is my father Tyro." Haru introduced, catching the attention of a balding older man with shoulder length grey-white hair and beard, "Dad, this is Katara."

Tyro turned slightly to look at the dark-haired girl standing next to his son curiously as she bowed slightly to him.

"It's an honor to meet you." Katara stated sincerely.

Tyro smiled slightly and took one of the bowls lying beside him, holding it out to the girl.

"Have some dinner, Katara." He offered, then chuckled when he saw her eager expression turn into a disgusted one when she looked at the contents of the bowl, "It's not as bad as it looks."

Katara sat down beside the older man and put a spoonful of the 'soup' in her mouth, gagging a moment later as a blush dusted her cheeks.

"It's still pretty bad though." Tyro said with a slight smile that Katara attempted to return.

Another older man suddenly appeared and touched Tyro's shoulder, causing the man and two teens to look up at him.

"Tyro, the prisoners are complaining that there aren't enough blankets to go around." The slightly younger man informed Tyro.

"I'll talk to the guards." Tyro assured the other man, "In the meantime make sure the elderly are taken care of. The rest of us will simply have to hope for warmer weather."

Once the man had left, Katara looked over at Tyro curiously.

"If you don't mind me asking; what's your escape plan?"

Tyro quirked a brow at the young girl and uncrossed his arms, "Excuse me?"

"You know the plan to get everyone off the rig?" Katara clarified, "What is it? Mutiny? Sabotage?"

"The plan?" Tyro looked down at the floor, "The plan is to survive, wait out this war. Hope that someday some of us can get back home and forget this ever happened."

Katara looked at the older man in shock, "How can you say that?! You sound like you've already given up!"

"Katara," Tyro intoned gently, "I admire your courage and I envy your youth, but people's lives are at stake here. The warden is a ruthless man and he won't stand for any rebellion."

The man bowed head and closed his eyes, "I am sorry, but we're powerless."

Katara scowled at the metal floor, her brows furrowed before she got to her feet, "We'll see about that."

Tyro and Haru watched as the young girl climbed onto the food table and started banging on a pan lid with a spoon to the attention of the prisoners.

"Earthbenders, you don't know me but I know of you," Katara began, projecting her voice as the Earthbenders looked at her, "Every child in my Water Tribe village was rocked to sleep with stories of the brave Earth Kingdom and the courageous Earthbenders who guard its borders."

The Warden watched the young girl from his spot on top of the wall surrounding the prisoners area, holding his hand out to the stop the guard that had been about to stop the girl.

"Some of you may think that the Fire Nation has made you powerless." Katara continued her speech passionately, "Yes, they have taken away your ability to bend, but they can't take away your courage. And it is your courage they should truly fear, because it runs deeper than any mine you've been forced to dig, any ocean that keep you far from home. It is the strength of your hearts that make you, who you are, hearts that will remain unbroken when all rock and stone has eroded away. The time to fight back is _**now**_! I can tell you the Avatar has returned! So remember your courage Earthbenders! Let us fight for our freedom!"

Katara's determined expression slowly morphed in a stunned one as the Earthbenders looked away from her and remained where they were, her shoulders sagging in defeat as the prisoners just carried on with what they had been doing before.

* * *

"Oof! Hurry up, Aang." Xiaodan grunted quietly as she held the younger Airbender up while he peered over the edge of the metal platform Appa was hovering beside.

The bald boy glanced around before hoisting himself onto the platform and hurrying towards prisoners' sleeping quarters with light steps so as not to alert the guards, while Xiaodan peered over the edge to watch his progress until he disappeared into one of the buildings.

* * *

Aang looked around quickly until he spotted Katara sleeping on the far side of the narrow build. The young Airbender hurried over to the slumbering Waterbender and gently shook her shoulder until she woke with a quiet gasp.

"Shh…" Aang whispered, his finger to his lips and stealthily lead her back to where Sokka and Xiaodan were waiting with Appa.

* * *

"Your twelve hours are up." Sokka said from Appa's saddle when Aang reappeared with Katara at his side, "Where's Haru? We've got to get out of here."

Aang jumped onto Appa's and Xiaodan passed him the reins then climbed into the saddle beside Sokka.

"I can't." Katara admitted softly, looking at her brother with slightly pleading eyes.

Sokka ignored what his sister said and held his hand out of her to take, "We don't have much time. There are guards everyone. Get on."

Xiaodan watched the dark-haired girl glance to side indecisively.

"Katara, what's wrong?" Aang asked, looking up at the girl with concern.

"I'm not leaving." Katara stated, her expression determined as the other three looked at each other in shock then back at the dark-haired girl.

"I'm not giving up on these people." Katara vowed firmly.

Xiaodan sighed and jumped onto the platform, crouching down to make it her harder see while Aang and Sokka followed her example a moment later with Katara kneeling beside the white-haired girl. Xiaodan turned slightly and kept a lookout while the other three talked.

"What do you mean, you're not leaving?" Sokka squawked quietly, giving his sister an annoyed look.

"I can't abandon these people!" Katara snapped then looked down, "There has to be a way to help them."

"Maybe she's right." Aang whispered and looked at the older boy, "What do you, Xia?"

The white-haired girl glanced over at her little brother and shrugged one shoulder, "If there's a way to save them, we have to find it. It's the right thing to do."

"I think you're all crazy." Sokka hissed before the four ducked when the light at the top of the guard tower flashed over them.

"Last chance." Sokka continued once the light had passed, "We need to leave. Now!"

"No." Katara stated unwaveringly.

"I hate when you get like this." Sokka said with a shake of his head, only for his eyes to widen slightly when the light passed over them again, "Come on we better hide."

Xiaodan waited while Aang whispered for Appa to go and Momo jumped onto his shoulder before the two Airbenders followed after the siblings, just as two guards rounded the corner.

* * *

"Tell me exactly what you saw." The Warden commanded as he turned to face two of his guards, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Well, sir, it looked like a flying bison." The older guard explained warily.

"What?"

"It was a giant, flying buffalo, sir." The other guard clarified in an attempt to be helpful, "With an empty saddle."

The Warden gave his subordinates a stern look, "Which was it, a buffalo or a bison?"

"Uh…" The first guard said confused as he looked at the ground, "I'm not really sure what the difference is, but that's not really the point, is it, sir?"

"I'll decide what the point is, fool!" The warden snarled then grabbed the guard and tossed him over the railing into the ocean below before turning to the remaining guard, "You! Wake up the Captain. Search the entire rig."

"Uh, sir…"

"What?!" The Warden snapped harshly.

"That was… the Captain that you just threw overboard, sir." The guard explained warily.

"Then wake up someone I haven't thrown overboard and search the rig!" The older man hissed, "There's something going on here and I don't like it."

* * *

Momo and Xiaodan peeked over one of the boxes the four friends plus the lemur were hiding behind then ducked back down and turned to the others.

"We don't have much time." Sokka stated, lifting his hands in a helpless gesture, "What are we gonna do?"

"I wish I knew how to make a hurricane." Aang muttered, causing the siblings to give him flat looks and Xiaodan to snort quietly.

"As awesome as that would be, little brother," The white-haired girl said quietly, "I don't think it would be very helpful in this situation."

"But the Warden would run away and we'd take his keys." Aang explained easily.

"Wouldn't he just take his keys with him?" Sokka asked rhetorically.

Aang looked away with a pout, "I'm just tossing ideas around."

Xiaodan patted his shoulder understandingly before looking over at Katara when the other girl began to speak.

"I tried talking the Earthbenders into fighting back, but it didn't work. If there was just away to help them help themselves."

"For that they'd need some kind of earth or some rock." Sokka stated, looking up at his sister, "Something they can bend."

"But this entire place is made of metal." Katara sighed, touching the metal floor.

Xiaodan pursed her lips and looked around, the smoking coming from the chimney stacks catching her attention.

"Wait, look at the smoke." She said, pointing at the billowing, dark clouds rising above them, "I bet there burning coal."

Aang's eyes lit up as he caught onto what his sister was saying, "And coal is a type of earth!"

The four looked up at the smoke then back at each, a plan already forming.

* * *

"It's almost dawn." Katara whispered to her brother, as they crouched beside one of the vents on the ship, "We're running out of time. You sure this is gonna work?"

Sokka crouched down beside her and nodded slightly, "It should. These vents reminded me of our little trick back at the village. We're gonna do the same thing but on a much bigger scale."

Sokka and Katara looked up at where Aang and Xiaodan stood on the narrow platform high above their heads where the three smoke stacks were located, waiting for the signal.

"There's a huge deposit of coal at the base of the silo and the whole system is ventilated. Aang and Xia closed off all the vents except one." Sokka explained quietly, "When they do their Airbending, the coal only has one place to go. Right back here."

"There's the intruder!"

Sokka and Katara jumped and moved back-to-back, Sokka pulling out his boomerang as the guards surrounded the two teens while the prisoners looked on.

"Stay back!" Sokka demanded, brandishing his weapon, "I'm warning you!"

"Katara, stop!" Tyro ordered firmly as he looked at the girl, "You can't win this fight!"

Katara's wide blue eyes met Haru's worried green ones but her attention was pulled away from the young Earthbender when the Warden suddenly appeared.

"Listen to him well, child." The Warden drawled coldly, "You're one mistake away from dying where you stand."

The guards began to close in on Sokka and Katara, causing the siblings to tense until a sudden rumbling began to come from the vent they were standing next to, causing them to look just as a geyser of coal came shooting from the vent, followed by the soot covered Aang and Xiaodan. The two Airbenders landed on the large pile of coal and started coughing, the soot falling off them.

"Here's your chance, Earthbenders!" Katara cried out as she climbed the pile of coal and held up a lump of coal, "Take it! Your fate is in your own hands."

Haru made to step forward but his father blocked his by raising his arm and the rest of the Earthbenders began to back away. The grating laughter of the Warden caused Katara to tense and slowly lower her arm. Xiaodan turned to look at the cackling man standing behind them with his arms crossed and six masked Firebenders behind him.

"Foolish girl," The man drawled mockingly, "You thought a few inspirational words and some coal would change these people? Look at these blank, hopeless faces."

Xiaodan watched as Katara turned her gaze to the despondent Earthbenders in front of her, the dark-haired girl's own expression slowly falling.

"Their spirits were broken a long time ago." The Warden continued to taunt, "Oh, but you still believe in them, how sweet. They're a waste of your energy, little girl. You failed."

Xiaodan grabbed a handful of coal and rose to her feet, intent on launching the flammable earth at the Warden's retreating back in retaliation for his cruel words to her friend, when someone beat her too and the man was nail in the back of the head.

The white-haired girl grinned broadly and turned her head to see Haru glaring at the Warden, coal spinning above his hand. The Warden snarled and punched his fists towards the young man, sending a strong fire blast at him. Haru jerked backwards, but instead of feeling the searing heat of the flames, a wall of coal stood before him and the young man turned to see his father standing with his arms raised.

"Show no mercy!" The Warden commanded as his Firebenders lined up on either side of his, taking a Firebending stance then sending streams of fire at the Earthbenders.

Katara, Aang, Sokka, and Xiaodan watched a other Earthbenders joined Haru and Tyro in bending a large wall of coal up to block the flames.

"For the Earth Kingdom!" Tyro yelled as he and the other Earthbenders slammed their hands on the ground and sent the coal flying at the Firebenders, "Attack!"

The other Earthbenders quickly attacked the Firebenders, ducking the blasts and countering with fists of coal. Katara, Aang, and Xiaodan run after Sokka as he uses his boomerang to snap the non-Firebending soldiers' spears in two with his boomerang, tossing the broken spearheads up to Momo who was flying overhead.

Haru and Tyro moved a large amount of the loose coal and began to bend it into a hard, compact ball which they launched at the only entrance into the former prisoners' housing area, knocking two guards from the wall in the process.

"Get to the ship!" Tyro commanded the other Earthbenders, "We'll hold them off!"

"Do not let them escape!" The Warden shouted when he saw his former prisoners racing towards the hole in the wall and he kicked a stream of fire at them.

Xiaodan yelped slightly and ducked as the flames past over their heads as they ran towards the hole. Aang stopped and spun around, creating a funnel of wind and holding it between his hands.

"Guys! Throw me some coal!" Aang calls out to his three friends, causing Xiaodan to laugh slightly and begin to drop lumps of coal into the funnel along with Katara and Sokka, pelting the Warden and the other Firebender with the projectiles and knocking them to the ground.

Tyro and two other Earthbenders work together to lift the coal that had gathered underneath the Warden and his men, moving them away from the rig until they hovered right over the ocean.

"No!" The Warden pleaded and turned to look at Tyro, "Please, I can't swim!"

"Don't worry. I hear cowards float." Tyro growled and then drops the Firebenders into the ocean below.

* * *

"I want to thank you for saving me." Haru said as he stepped closer to Katara, who had been watching the rig shrink in the distance, "For saving us."

The young Waterbender turned to face Haru, rubbing the back of her, "All it took was a little coal."

"It wasn't the coal, Katara." Haru stated sincerely, "It was you."

The dark-haired girl blushed brightly and looked off to the side then looked up at Tyro when he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you for helping me find my courage, Katara of the Water Tribe." The older man said gratefully, "My family and everyone here owes you much."

"So, I guess you're going home now." The girl stated more than asked, looking up at Tyro with a slight smile.

"Yes, to take back my village." Tyro agreed then turned to face the other ships, "To take back all of our villages! The Fire Nation will regret the day they set foot on our land!"

The other former prisoners cheered loudly, raising their fists in the air. Katara smiled at the scene before Haru's voice suddenly grabbed her attention.

"Come with us."

Katara turned to the young man with a shake of her head, "I can't. Your mission is to take back your home. Ours is to get Aang to North Pole."

The dark-haired girl looked over at Appa, swimming alongside the ship, smiling when she saw Aang and Xiaodan sitting on Appa's head, using Airbending to keep a piece of coal away from Momo while Sokka relaxed in the saddle.

"That's him, isn't it?" Haru asked, looking over at the two Airbenders, "The Avatar?"

Xiaodan tossed the air encased piece of coal over to Aang and Momo jumped into the bald boy's lap with a chitter, causing the girl to laugh merrily. Aang hugged the lemur before lifting him up and grinning at him.

Haru glanced over at the girl standing beside him, "Katara, thank you for bringing my father back to me. I never thought I'd see him again. I only wish there was some way…"

"I know." Katara murmured, looking away and reaching up to touch her mother's necklace only for her eyes to widen in panic when she realized it's not around her neck and she began searching her body, "My mother's necklace! It's gone!"

* * *

Burning gold eyes catch sight of the familiar blue necklace lying on the coal covered floor of the rig before being picked up. Lifting his head, Zuko looks away from the necklace and at the setting sun, his scarred face set into an expression of grim determination as he clenched the necklace in his fist.

* * *

**Author's Note: Oh my Spirits, I freaking **_**despise**_** this episode…Bah, it's so annoying compared to all the others. Not to mention Katara's 'motivational' speeches kind of kangaroo nuts. I mean, did you really expect people to be cheering your name after you just reminded them of all the horrible things that have happened to them? Ugh and has anyone else noticed the girl's propensity to flirt and bat her eyelashes at every new guy character that shows up? First Haru, then Jet and even Zuko sometimes! Seriously, I get that she's a hormonal fourteen year old but come on girl, show **_**some**_** dignity. Anyhooties, ranting aside, I hope I did this chapter okay, despite not liking the episode. I'll admit it was kinda hard finding a way to write Xiaodan into this episode and I hope I did okay, but I'll leave that up to my readers to decide. Next chapter will take place during Season 1 Episode 7: Winter Solstice Part 1: The Spirit World, so stay tuned for that chapter.**

**PS—Also, I'm probably going to start updating every other day since it takes me nearly the whole day just get out a chapter anyway, but I will keep updating as long as the ideas for this story keep flowing!**

**PSS- And another thing, just incase you guys were wondering, Xia is 16 years old. A year older than Sokka and a year younger Zuko.**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are awesome!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**BookLover695: Awesome, I'm so glad you think I did Bumi justice, I was kinda worried. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!**

**Lady Amazon: You're very welcome! I started working on the last chapter as soon as I posted the fifth one, so I was able to update relatively fast. I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Break This Spell666: Sorry about that, once I finish writing/posting all the chapters taking place during Season 1, I'm going to go back and edit and fix up the chapters. Anyhooties, I hope you'll forgive any mistakes in this chapter, I tried to keep them to a minimum and I also hope you like the chapter!**

**Molly Grace 16: Mine too, he's also my favorite Earthbender next to Toph who is just kickass. Hmm…I haven't decided how I'm going to reveal Xia's backstory quite yet, but I'm leaning towards exposing it more gradually. The revealing will probably start around Season 2 when she and Zuko have been stuck together for a while, if that makes sense. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!**

**Cat of Flames: Thank you! I hope you like this chapter, even though there aren't any Zuko/Xia interactions. :)**

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: I know right? I love Bumi too. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8: The Winter Solstice Part 1

**AN: Chapter 8 takes place during Season 1 Episode 7: Winter Solstice Part 1: The Spirit World. Various POVs as always, enjoy my lovelies! **

**PS—Gonna forgo the 'Previously' nonsense this chapter. **

* * *

Xiaodan yawned slightly and closed her eyes as she leaned against the back of Appa's saddle with Momo curled around her shoulders. Sokka was sitting across from her, whittling at piece of wood while Katara was lying in the middle of the saddle and peering over the edge at the clouds. Aang was lounging on Appa's head, a piece of grass hanging from his mouth and his hands behind his own head.

"Those clouds look so soft, don't they?" Katara murmured suddenly, her tone dreamy as she looked at the clouds passing below them, "Like you could just jump down and land on a big, soft cottony heap."

"Maybe you should give it a try." Sokka quipped, pausing in his whittling to smirk at his sister.

"You're hilarious." Katara said sarcastically, glaring over her shoulder at her brother.

Xiaodan gave a silent sigh at the two near-constantly bickering siblings, but decided to ignore them for the moment.

"I'll try it!" Aang exclaimed, laughing as he jumps off of Appa's head with his staff, "Yeah!"

Xiaodan straightens instantly and peers over the edge of the saddle with Sokka and Katara, watching as Aang free-falls towards a large cloud below them, whooping the whole time. The white-haired girl shook her head in amusement and leaned away from the edge while the siblings continued to look over the saddle with raised eyebrows, only to turn around a moment later when a soaking wet Aang landed on his backside behind them after snapping his glider shut.

"Turns out, clouds are made of water."

Xiaodan laughed at him for a moment then sucked in a deep breath and blew a gust of air at him, drying him off and knocking him onto his side, causing him to laugh. Katara and Sokka looked blandly at the two Airbenders before something in front of them catches the young Waterbender's attention.

"Hey, what is that?" She questioned, moving towards the front of the saddle, the other three following her a moment later.

"Whoa…" Xiaodan murmured, looking at the dark swath of burnt land amidst the green.

"It's like a scar." Sokka commented softly from Xiaodan's side.

* * *

Aang had landed Appa in the middle of what probably used to be a clearing in the long-gone forest and the four teens plus Momo had started looking around. Xiaodan frowned as she looked at the burnt tree stumps and ash covered ground, kneeling when she noticed some footprints in the grey ground.

"Listen. It's so quiet." Sokka murmured as he walked to stand beside Xiaodan then kneeled when he saw the footprints as Xiaodan stood and walked over to where Aang was standing with hunched shoulders.

"Aang?" Katara questioned softly, "Are you okay?"

"Fire Nation!" Sokka snarled when he realized who made the footprints and he got to his feet, his fists clenched, "Those evil savages make me sick! They have no respect for—"

"Shh!" Katara shushed her brother, putting her finger to her lip.

"What?" Sokka snapped, dusting his legs off, "I'm not allowed to be angry?"

Katara doesn't answer and merely pointed to where Aang was standing with slumped shoulders beside Xiaodan who had her hand on his back. When the young Airbender fell to his knees with a sigh, the white-haired girl kneeled next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder in silent comfort.

"Why would anyone do this?" He asked softly, scooping up some of ash and letting it fall through his fingers, "How could I let this happen, Xia?"

"This isn't your fault, little brother." Xiaodan consoled the boy softly as Katara took a few steps toward them.

"Aang, you didn't let this happen." The girl stated gently, folding her hands in front of her, "It has nothing to do with you."

"Yes, it does." Aang muttered, shifting into a cross-legged position and shrugging Xiaodan's hand from his shoulder as he looked at the burnt land with downcast eyes, "This is my fault. It's the Avatar's job to protect nature, but I don't know how to do my job."

Xiaodan made a troubled noise in the back of her throat and scooted closer to Aang, wrapping her arm around him in a comforting embrace that only an older sister could give.

"That's why we're going to the North Pole." Katara said gently, "To find you a teacher."

"Yeah," Aang huffed, leaning into Xiaodan's hug slightly, "A waterbending teacher. But there's no one who can teach me how to be the Avatar. Monk Gyatso said that Avatar Roku would help me."

"The Avatar before you?" Sokka questioned as he moved closer to where the two Airbenders were sitting, "He died over a hundred years ago. How are you supposed to talk to him?"

Xiaodan looked over Aang's shoulder and glared at the Water Tribe boy, tempted to throw a rock at him as Aang hung his head.

"I don't know." The bald boy sighed, looking down at Momo when the lemur crawled into his lap and he started petting his large ears.

Xiaodan sighed quietly and rested her chin on her young brother's head, looking at the scorched area around them with sad eyes.

* * *

"Uncle, it's time to leave!" Zuko shouted as he searched for his uncle, "Where are you? Uncle Iroh!"

"Over here."

"Uncle?" The scarred teen said when he spotted his uncle relaxing in a natural hot spring, his clothes draped over a low hanging branch, "We need to move on. We're closing in on the Avatar's trail and I don't want to lose him."

"You look tired, Prince Zuko." Iroh commented serenely, ignoring what his nephew just said as he gestured to the hot spring he was in, "Why don't join me in these hot springs and soak away your troubles?"

Zuko's face became pinched with irritation as he glared at his uncle, "My troubles cannot be soaked away. It's time to go!"

Iroh opened his eyes slightly to look at his hotheaded nephew, "You should take your teacher's advice and relax a little. The temperature's just right. I heated it myself."

Taking a deep breath, Iroh used Firebending to breathe steam from his nose and heat the water, which sent up even more steam.

"Enough!" Zuko snapped, waving the steam away, "We need to leave now. Get out of the water."

"Very well!" Iroh agreed, standing up and revealing the fact that he was completely naked.

"On second thought, why don't you take another few minutes. But be back at the ship in a half-hour or I'm leaving without you!" Zuko stated, shielding his eyes and looking away as he hurried back to the ship, trying to burn the image from his mind.

Iroh smirked and lowered himself back into the water with a contented sigh, tilting his head back to rest against the rim of the hot spring and prepared for a nap.

* * *

Xiaodan watched Katara approach Aang's slumped form from her perch on Appa's head with her arms wrapped around her knees, pressing them to her chest.

"Hey, Aang!" Katara called out as she stopped a little bit a ways from the glum Airbender, "You ready to be cheered up?"

"No…" the boy sighed only to yelp when an acorn hits the side of his head, "Ow! Hey, how is that cheering me up?"

"Cheered me up." Sokka quipped with a laugh only for an acorn to hit his head too, "Ow. Yeah, I probably deserved that."

"Yup." Xiaodan remarked with a loud snicker and leapt off Appa's head.

Katara kneeled in front of Aang and showed him the acorn in her hand, "These acorns are everywhere, Aang. That means the forest will grow back! Every one of these will be a tall oak tree someday, and all the birds and animals that lived here will come back."

Xiaodan smiled happily and crouched beside her brother as Katara placed the acorn in Aang's hand and closed his fingers over it.

Aang looks at his hand for a moment then smiles up at Katara, "Thanks, Katara."

Katara smiled back at him then gasped when she saw an old man with a walking stick approaching. Xiaodan jumped lithely to her feet then helped Katara and Aang up as the man came closer.

"Hey, who are you?" Sokka demanded, also standing and moving into a slightly defensive position since the man was closest to him.

"When I saw the flying bison, I thought it was impossible." The man stated, ignoring Sokka in favor of walking towards Aang, "But those markings…are you the Avatar, child?"

Aang glanced at Xiaodan and Katara, who nodded in approval, then nods himself with a small smile.

"My village desperately needs your help!" The old man exclaimed, looking at the young Airbender almost pleadingly.

* * *

The sun was setting when Xiaodan, Aang, Katara, and Aang followed the old man to Senlin Village, the village where the old man came from. The village was partially destroyed, some of the houses nothing but skeletal remains while others were halfway there.

The old man lead the four to the large, intact building in the center of the settlement, the four looking around as they passed the ruined houses.

"This young person is the Avatar." The old man said, gesturing to Aang after they had entered the building full of people.

A man in his mid-thirties turned and approached the group, his hands folded in front of his chest as he bowed to Aang, "So, the rumors of your return are true! It is the greatest honor of a lifetime to be in your presence."

"Nice to meet you too." Aang greeted the man with a small smile after straightening from his own small bow, "So, is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm not sure." The leader stated hesitantly, looking away from the young Airbender's expectant face.

"our village is in crisis!" The old man exclaimed, coming to stand beside the village leader then he addressed Aang, "For the last few days at sunset, a spirit monster comes and attacks our village. He is Hei Bai, the black and white spirit."

From behind Aang, Katara and Xiaodan glanced out the open doors at the setting sun while Sokka merely frowned at the two men.

"Why is it attacking you?" The only non-bender in the group questioned.

"We do not know." The village leader replied, walking forward and placing his hand against the doorway, "But for each of the last three nights, he has abducted one of our own. We are especially fearful because the winter solstice draws near?"

"What happens then?" Katara and Xiaodan accidently asked together, glancing at each other briefly before looking back to the village leader.

The old man answered, "As the solstice approaches, the natural world and the Spirit World grow closer and closer until the line between them is blurred completely."

Xiaodan's brows furrowed as she processed what the old man had said, her lips twisting slightly as she thought.

"Hei Bai is already causing devastation and destruction." The village leader stated, looking at the four over his shoulder, "Once the solstice is here, there's no telling what will happen."

"So, what exactly do you want Aang to do?" Xiaodan asked carefully, stepping forward and putting her hand on the younger Airbender's shoulder.

"Who better to resolve a crisis between our world and the Spirit World than the Avatar himself?" The old man questioned as he crouched slightly in front of the bald boy, "You are the great bridge between man and spirits."

"Right…" Aang muttered uncertainly, "That's me."

"Hey, great bridge guy, could I talk to you for a second?" Katara whispered to Aang then lead him over to an open window a bit a ways from the others, "Aang, you seem a little unsure about all this."

"Yeah, that might be because I don't know anything at all about the Spirit World." Aang mumbled, looking away when Sokka and Xiaodan joined him and Katara, "It's not like there's someone to teach me this stuff!"

"Calm down, little brother." Xiaodan soothed, placing her hand on Aang's shoulder, "We have to keep our heads."

Aang sighed and relaxed his tense posture, letting his hands fall from his hips and hang from at his sides.

"So… Can you help these people?" Katara questioned carefully.

"I have to try, don't I? Maybe whatever I have to do will just…come to me." Aang said, smiling nervously at the older three and lifting his arm slightly when Momo landed on his shoulder.

"I think you can do it, Aang." Katara said encouragingly, tilting her head slightly with a sincere smile on her face.

Xiaodan rubbed the top of Aang's head affectionately, "And you already know that I think you can do this."

"Yeah," Sokka agreed, his expression similar to Katara's as he nodded his head, "We're all gonna get eating by a spirit monster."

Xiaodan reached over and punched him in the shoulder, ignoring his yelp of pain and smiling reassuringly down at Aang.

"You can do this." She stated positively, "We've got your back, little brother."

Aang smiled and nodded at the white-haired girl, not for the first time feeling absolutely grateful to have her at his side.

* * *

Snoring, Iroh slept peacefully in the hot spring until a sudden rustling in the nearby trees.

"Who's there?" The retired general called out somewhat blearily, only to smile when a meadow vole appeared on the rim of the hot spring, "A meadow vole! I should have known."

"You startled me, little one." Iroh stated and gently took the small creature into his palm then sighed, "It seems I dozed off and missed my nephew's deadline, but it was a very sweet nap."

The meadow vole climbed off of Iroh's hand and ran around the rim of the hot spring again then began jumping up and down only to dart away when the ground began to shake and a cloud of dust appeared on the path leading to the hot springs.

Iroh grunted in surprise when the rock at the bottom of the hot spring jutted upward, trapping him between three spikes of earth as three Earthbenders landed around the hot spring, effectively surrounding him.

A fourth soldier grabbed Iroh's clothes from the branch they had been hanging on and held them up to another Earthbender, "He's a Fire Nation soldier."

The fifth soldier, clearly the captain brushed past the man holding the robes and stopping in front of where Iroh was still trapped, "He's no ordinary soldier. This is the Fire Lord's brother, the Dragon of the West. The once-great General Iroh, but now, he's our prisoner."

Iroh glared at the Earthbender captain, his expression severe.

* * *

Xiaodan pursed her lips as she peered out the only open window in the large building, watching as Aang walked out into the abandoned street alone. She was quite unhappy that is had been decided for Aang to take on the Hei Bai alone.

"Hello?" Aang called out as he walked further towards the village's entrance, gripping his staff tightly in his hand as the sun began to set further, "Spirit? Can you hear me? This is the Avatar speaking. I'm here to try to help stuff."

From the relative safety of the main building, Sokka and Katara watch Aang from the window with Xiaodan.

"This isn't right." Sokka grumbled in annoyance, leaning against the window beside Xiaodan, "We can't sit here and cower while Aang waits for some monster to show up."

"If anyone can save us, he can." The old man stated calmly from behind the three teens, but that only served to further annoy Sokka and Xiaodan.

"Just because he can save you, doesn't mean he has to do it alone." Xiaodan practically hissed at the old man over her shoulder, her orange eyes almost appearing on fire.

"Agreed." Sokka muttered, folding his arms over his chest as they watched the young Airbender's progress towards the main gate just as the sun set and night embraced the village.

(((LINE))

"The sun has set. Where are you, Hei Bai?" Aang called out, standing in front of the open gates that lead into the village.

"Well…spirit, uh… I hereby ask you to please leave this village in peace!" Aang stated, holding his hand out then twirled his staff and slammed the end against the ground with authority.

Nothing happened and Aang looked around briefly.

"Okay…" He muttered, slightly unsure, "Well, I guess that's settled then."

Aang turned around and began walking back to the main building, unaware of the soft whispering that had started up in the forest beyond the village's gate or the large black and white monster that had suddenly appeared behind and began to follow him, panting heavily.

Hearing the heavy breathing, Aang paused then turned around and looked up at the large, six-armed, black and white monster towering over him.

"Uh, you must be the Hei Bai spirit. My name is—" Aang began only to be cut off when Hei Bai released a bright blue blast of energy from his mouth at him before walking right over him, towards the village.

"My name is Aang! I am the Avatar and I would like to help! Hey, wait up!" Aang shouted at the retreating spirit before running to catch up while Hei Bai began smashing buildings then destroyed a tower with an energy blast, "Uhh…"

* * *

"The Avatar's methods are…unusual." The village leader noted from behind Sokka, Katara, and Xiaodan as they watched Aang chase after the furious spirit as it destroyed parts of the village.

"It doesn't seem to be interested in what he's saying." Sokka stated, looking up at the village leader, "Maybe we should go help him."

"No!" The old man denied instantly, holding a hand out to stop both Sokka and Xiaodan, "Only the Avatar stands a change against the Hei Bai."

"Aang will figure out the right thing to do, Sokka, Xia." Katara said soothingly in an attempt to placate the two.

* * *

Aang ran after Hei Bai, wincing slightly when he smashed another building.

"Please, will you stop destroying things and listen?" Aang pleaded as he leapt onto the building behind the Hei Bai, "I'm trying to do my job as spirit bridge. Excuse me, would you please turn around?"

Hei Bai ignored Aang, intent on smashing what was left of the destroyed house in front into the ground with his second pair of arms.

"I command you to turn around now!"

That got the spirit's attention and Hei Bai whirled around, smacking Aang with one of his black arms and sending the young Avatar flying into the roof of another building.

* * *

"That's it! He needs help!" Sokka snapped, running out of the main building.

"Sokka, wait!" Katara yelped, rushing after her brother with a furious Xiaodan about to follow him only for the village leader to grab both of the girls' arms, preventing them from leaving the building.

"It's not safe." The man stated, pulling them back inside, watching as the young man run to where Hei Bai was towering over Aang.

"Let me go!" Xiaodan demanded, trying to pull her arm out of the man's surprisingly strong grip.

"It's not safe." The village leader repeated, holding her arm tightly.

* * *

"Hei Bai, over here!" Sokka shouted, launching his boomerang at the spirit but he doesn't even seem to notice, so he raced towards the angry spirit.

Aang's eyes widened slightly when he saw his friend running towards him, "Sokka, go back!"

"We'll fight him together, Aang." The older boy promised, standing in front of the young Airbender.

Aang shook his head, "I don't want to fight him unless I—"

Aang's words where cut off when Hei Bai suddenly grabbed Sokka with his secondary arms and fled into the dark forest. Snatching up his glider and snapping it open, Aang quickly began chasing after the fleeing spirit, disappearing into the forest.

* * *

"Sokka!" Katara shouted as she ran towards the village entrance with Xiaodan right beside her.

"Aang!" Xiaodan yelled in panic, skidding to a stop just inside the entrance, one hand clutched above her racing heart as she peered into the shadowy forest in search of either boy.

The villagers gather around to the terrified girls, whispering quietly amongst themselves as they stared into the forest.

* * *

Scowling darkly, Zuko pushed away a branch and stalked towards the hot spring where his uncle had been, pausing when he didn't see his uncle.

"Uncle! Uncle where are you?"

"Sir," One of Zuko's Firebenders started, "Maybe he thought you left without him."

"Something's not right here." The banished prince said as he looked around, his golden gaze settling on the destroyed hot spring in front of him, "That pile of rocks."

"It looks like there's been a landslide, sir." Another Firebender soldier stated, looking up at small hill behind the hot springs.

"Land doesn't slide uphill. Those rocks didn't move naturally." Zuko growled as he examined the rocks then straightened when realization his him, "My uncle's been captured by Earthbenders!"

* * *

Aang flew through the forest on his glider, dodging trees and any low hanging branches as he chased after Hei Bai and Sokka and was finally catching up to them.

"Aang, over here!" Sokka called out when he saw the young Airbender through the trees, "Help!"

"Hang on, Sokka!" Aang shouted back, flying over the trees as he chased Hei Bai into the burnt remains of the forest he and his friends had looked over early that day.

Aang held his hand out to Sokka when he was flying close enough to the running spirit and both he and Sokka strained to grab onto each other. Just as Aang grabbed the older boy's hand, Sokka and Hei Bai faded away, causing Aang to lose his balance.

The young Airbender cried out as his glider spiraled out of control and he fell through the air, landing with a thud in front of large bear statue, unconscious.

* * *

"Sokka!" Aang gasped as he jerked awake and looked around, realizing that Sokka was not there, "I failed…"

* * *

"Where are you taking me?" Iroh asked his captors from his position on the back of one of the soldier's ostrich horse, wrapped in chains with his handcuffed arms crossed over his chest and in nothing but his undergarments and sandals.

"We're taking you to face justice." The captain responded shortly as his ostrich horse plodded past the one Iroh and the soldier were riding.

"Right." Iroh drawled slightly, "But where specifically?"

"A place you're quite familiar with actually." The captain stated, sounding slightly smug and irritated at the same time as he glanced back at his prisoner, "You once laid siege to it for six hundred days, but it would not yield to you."

"Ah, the great city of Ba Sing Se." Iroh mused with a slight nod then closed his eyes.

"It was great than you were," The captain snarked, "apparently."

"I acknowledge my defeat at Ba Sing Se. After six hundred days away from home, my men were tired and I was tired." Iroh said with slight indignation then tiredness as he yawned, "And I am still tired."

Closing his eyes, Iroh relaxed against the soldier in front of him before falling off the ostrich horse with a thud. The soldier paused and did a double-take, looking down at the chained up and slumbering old man on the ground. Sighing in annoyance, two of the Earthbenders grab Iroh by the arms and haul him to his feet, putting him back on the ostrich horse. None of them notice the single sandal lying on the ground where Iroh had fallen, nor did any of them notice the small, clever smile that appeared on the old man's face as they continued their journey.

* * *

Xiaodan ignored the old man as he approached the spot where she and Katara were sitting in front of the entrance to Senlin Village. She was rather upset that he had prevented her from helping her brother, even if it had been the village's leader that had grabbed her arm and kept her inside the main building.

"I'm sure they'll be back." The old man said reassuringly.

"I know." Katara sighed quietly, hugging her knees to her chest tighter and glancing over at the silent girl by her side, "We both do."

Xiaodan still didn't acknowledge the elderly man, even after he had put the blanket around her and Katara's shoulders.

"You both should get some rest." He advised sagely.

"Everything's going to be okay." Katara muttered, more to herself as she clutched Sokka's boomerang in one hand, prompting Xiaodan to wrap an arm around the younger girl's shoulders beneath the blanket.

Katara sighed quietly again and leaned her head against the older girl's shoulder, shutting her eyes tightly. The old man kneeled in front of them, his voice soft as he tried to comfort them.

"Your brother is in good hands." He stated quietly to Katara, "I would be shocked if the Avatar returned without him."

None of the three noticed the as slack-shouldered Aang approached them.

* * *

"Katara?" Aang called out softly as he approached where the two girls and the elderly man were sitting on the ground in front of the village entrance, "Katara, I lost him."

Aang moved closer to the three as the sun began to rise, watching as the old man placed one hand on Katara's shoulder, since she was closer to him than Xiaodan was. That and the old man wasn't sure the white-haired girl would let him place his hand on her shoulder, even in a gesture of comfort.

"The sun is rising. Perhaps he will return soon."

Aang frowned as he looked down at Katara, his sister, and the old man in confusion; he was right in front of them after all.

"What? No, I'm right here!" Aang stated worriedly, then growled and waved his hand in front of the old man's face, only to stare in shock when he could see the run through his hand, "I'm in the Spirit World!"

* * *

Zuko kneeled on the ground and picked up the single sandal that was lying there then sniffed it.

The scarred prince recoiled in disgust, "Yeah, that's Uncle Iroh."

Holding the smelly sandal in one hand, Zuko quickly remounts his rhino.

* * *

"I'll figure this out, you guys, I promise." Aang said from his spot beside the two girls who were leaning against each other and the wall, fast asleep, "Like they said, I'm the bridge between the worlds right? All I have to do is…figure out what I have to do. But once I do that, no problem."

Aang smiled and got to his feet when he saw Appa lumber over to where Xiaodan and Katara were sleeping.

"Appa, hey buddy, I'm right here!" Aang greeted the large sky bison, only to be ignored as Appa leaned closer to the two girls and snorted a breath of air at them, "But, I guess you can't see me either."

Katara and Xiaodan awoke abruptly when Appa gave a soft growling roar at them. The white-haired girl sighed quietly and rubbed the sky bison's cheek affectionately.

"It's okay, Appa, don't worry." The older girl murmured soothingly as she stroked his furry cheek.

"I'm sure they're on their way back." Katara added, rubbing Appa's nose before standing and helping Xiaodan to her feet, "I bet they even found you a bunch of moon peaches for a treat."

Aang watched sadly as the three walked back into the village, leaving him alone at the village entrance.

"What am I supposed to do? Avatar Roku, how can I talk to you?" Aang questioned aloud, before a noise caught his attention and he looked towards the forest eagerly, "Sokka?"

"That's definitely not Sokka." The young Airbender muttered when he saw a large dragon coming towards him.

Quickly, Aang snapped open his glider and turned to fly away only to flat on the ground with a grunt.

"What?" He muttered as he pushed himself upright then tried to Airbend, "I can't Airbend in the Spirit World!"

Turning around, Aang froze as the dragon flew closer then landed right in front of him with a thud. Aang cringed back slightly, glancing away from the dragon then back again.

"You don't know where Sokka is, do you?" He asked with a nervous smile, watching warily as the dragon leaned down and touched Aang's forehead with one of its whiskers.

Aang gasped quietly as he saw Avatar Roku riding the dragon in front of him in his mind, then stumbled slightly when the dragon pulled its whisker away. Straightening, Aang looked up at the dragon with amazement and respect.

"You're Avatar Roku's animal guide." Aang said in awe, "Like Appa is to me! I need to save my friend and I don't know how! Is there some way for me to talk to Roku?"

The dragon curled its long neck around him and looked at Aang imploringly. Grinning slightly, Aang ran forward and hopped onto the dragon, just behind the large horns on its head.

"I'll be back, you two." Aang stated, looking back at the two girls as they fed and petted Appa then the dragon gets back up and Aang looks down at him, "Take me to Roku!"

The dragon rumbled quietly and leapt in air, flying away from the village.

* * *

Still bound and riding on the behind one of the Earthbender soldiers on the back of an ostrich horse as they rode through a mountain, Iroh glanced up at the sky then gasped quietly the spirit dragon with who appeared to be the young Avatar fly overhead in the opposite direction.

"What's the problem?" the Earthbender captain demanded when he saw the stunned look on the old man's face.

"Nothing." Iroh responded instantly before an idea came to him and he looked at the captain, "Actually, there is a bit of a problem. My old joints are feeling sore and aching, and these shackles are too loose."

"Too loose?" The captain asked in disbelief.

"That's right. The cuffs are loose and they jangle around and bump my wrists." Iroh stated, showing the captain what he meant before looking up at the Earthbender innocently, "It would help me if you tighten them, so they wouldn't shake around so much."

"Very well." The captain looked towards the soldier sitting in front of Iroh, "Corporal, tighten the prisoner's handcuffs."

The ostrich horses were brought to a stop and the corporal dismounts from his ostrich horse then moves towards Iroh. Taking a deep breath, Iroh breathed out and heated one of this cuffs, using his other hand to shield the steam from view then just as the corporal grabbed the cuff, Iroh pushing the man's hand onto the overheated metal. The corporal screamed in pain and yanked his hand free, falling to his knees as he clutched his burnt hand.

Smirking slightly, Iroh jumped down from the kneeling ostrich horse then kicked a blast of fire from his feet at the two Earthbenders still mounted in front of him, causing the mounts to panic and toss their riders. Having landed on his back after he had kicked the fire blast at the soldiers, Iroh quickly rolled down the hill while the Earthbenders attempted to control their distressed mounts.

* * *

Aang's eyes widened slightly as he took in the tall temple residing on the volcanic island. His eyes widen further when the dragon flew into the temple then soared up towards the roof.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Aang demanded in a panic as the roof got closer.

The young Airbender screamed and closed his eyes only to blink them open a moment later when he and the dragon past right through the roof and into a room, where a there was a statue of Roku and a celestial calendar.

"I don't understand," Aang stated as he moved closer to statue after climbing off the dragon's back, "this is just a statue of Roku."

Aang gave the statue a confused look then turned to the dragon, watching as he pressed his whisker to his forehead again, showing him a vision of a comet before pulling the whisker away.

Aang looked at the dragon in surprise, "Is that what Roku wants to talk to me about? A comet? When can I talk to him?"

Aang looked away from the statue and back towards the dragon, just as the creature moved its head and a beam of light appeared just to the right of Roku's statue. This time Aang closed his eyes and bowed his head when the dragon's whisker touched his forehead and another vision appeared, showing him a vision of the sun setting and rising repeatedly and the light becoming closer to Roku with each passing day.

"It's a calendar and the light will reach Roku on the solstice!" Aang exclaimed as realization dawned on him and the dragon pulled his whisker away, "So that's when I'll be able to speak to Roku?"

The dragon grumbled and snorted, which Aang took as an affirmative. Aang looked up at the dragon in distress.

"But I can't wait that long!" He cried out, "I need to save Sokka now!"

The dragon grumbled and lowered his head again. Aang quickly climbed onto the spot just behind the dragon's horns, then the creature took off out of the temple and headed back to the village.

* * *

Iroh grunted and groaned as he rolled down the hill, the rocks abusing his body as he tumbled. The Earthbender captain hurried to the edge of the path and hit Iroh's rolling body with a rockslide, stopping his downward roll by partially trapping him under a pile of dirt. The captain and two other soldiers quickly slide down the incline until they reach Iroh.

"He's too dangerous, Captain." One of the soldier stated and gestured towards the unconscious man under the rubble, "We can't just carry him to the Capital. We have to do something now!"

"I agree. He must be dealt with immediately and severely." The captain agreed with his soldier.

Iroh winced slightly and spat out a rock then opened his eyes into tiny slits, a small smirk appearing on his face.

* * *

"It's no use, Xia." Katara called out to the other girl from her spot in the saddle as Xiaodan flew Appa over the forest, "I don't see them anywhere. Our best hope is to go back to the village and wait."

"You're probably right, Katara." Xiaodan assented and pursed her lips in frustration, tugging on Appa's reins to direct him back to the village.

* * *

Zuko stared down at the ostrich horse footprints he was following when he heard a vaguely familiar noise come from behind him.

"The Avatar!" The banished prince growled slightly when he saw the Avatar's flying bison in the sky and he tugged on his rhino's reins about to follow the bison only to hesitate and look back at the footprints.

Zuko looked at the footprints then back in the direction the sky bison had flown, his eyes narrowed as he thought about his decision.

* * *

The dragon flew through the sky towards the bear statue where Aang could see his body sitting on top of the statue's head. Raising his arms and cringing, Aang braced himself for impact as the dragon sped towards the statue before slamming into it, disappearing into it while Aang returned to his body.

The young Airbender opened his eyes slowly then looked around. He jumped to the ground, staring up at the bear statue, then opened his glider and flew back to the village.

* * *

Xiaodan crossed her arms tightly and frowned as she looked at the sun setting over the horizon, bathing the village in a golden light. She and Katara had waited at the village entrance until the sun had begun to set, then they had walked to the main building and stood on the porch, looking for any sign of Aang or Sokka.

Katara sighed and turned her head to where two villagers were holding open the large double doors, her eyes closed.

"Aang!" Xiaodan shouted happily and jumped from the porch when she saw her little brother's glider flying towards them before landing on the ground a few feet from the main building.

White hair whipped behind her as she ran and nearly tackled Aang with her rather exuberant hug, before holding him away from her by his shoulders.

"Don't you ever do something like that again, mister!" Xiaodan scolded gently, "If you're going to try and reason with angry spirits than I'm gonna be right by your side, got it?"

Aang smiled slightly and nodded his head in agreement, more than glad to accept his sister's future help in dealing with any angry spirits.

"You're back!" Katara exclaimed, hugging the boy after Xiaodan had moved to the side, "Where's Sokka?"

"I'm not sure…" Aang said quietly with his head bowed and Xiaodan placed her hand comfortingly on his shoulder, just as the sun set and night fell.

* * *

"These dangerous hands must be crushed." The Earthbender captain proclaimed, staring down at where Iroh's hands were chained to a flat rock, surrounded by the Earthbender soldiers.

The captain Earthbends a large rock into the air and hovers it over Iroh's hands, then began to drop it.

Iroh's eyes widen slightly as the rock about to crush his hands was kicked away and his nephew appeared in front of him, Zuko then broke Iroh's chain with the heel of his boot.

"Excellent form, Prince Zuko." Iroh praised his nephew as he got to his feet.

"You taught me well, Uncle." Zuko stated and moved so he and his Uncle were back-to-back, facing the soldiers surrounding them.

"Surrender yourselves. It's five against two." The Earthbender captain drawled, "You're clearly outnumbered."

"Ah, that's true." Iroh agreed, then smirked at the captain, "But you are clearly outmatched!"

The Earthbender began fire rocks at Iroh and Zuko but the former general easily destroyed the rocks with his chains. Zuko kicked fire at one soldier before swiping his leg out and kicking a fire blast at the feet of the Earthbender behind him, knocking the enemy soldier to the ground and causing the rock he'd been about to throw to fall on top of him.

Zuko smirked down at the prone man and turned in time to see two other Earthbenders launch a large rock at him which Iroh quickly stopped by grabbing it with his chains then the old man threw it back at the two Earthbender soldiers, knocking them into a wall of stone.

The captain now the only one left standing, launched three rocks at Zuko, but the young prince dodged each of them easily, countering the attacks with fire blasts which are the captain dodged. Zuko's eyes widened slightly as the Earthbender captain brought up a large mass of rocks and earth, raising it high above his head like a wave, leaving Zuko unable to dodge the attack. But the banished prince needn't have worried, as his uncle swung his chains low and wrapped them around the Earthbender captain's ankles, knocking him to the floor and causing the pile of rocks to fall on him.

With a smirk, Zuko placed his hand on his uncle's bare shoulder as they both surveyed their handiwork.

"Now would you please put on some clothes?" The young prince questioned sardonically, much to Iroh's amusement.

* * *

Standing side-by-side just outside then village entrance, Aang and Xiaodan waited quietly for Hei Bai to show up, Katara and the other villagers watching from inside the main building.

The two waited for a few more minutes before Aang gave up, gesturing for Xiaodan to follow him back to the main building. They were passing one of the more intact houses when Hei Bai crashed through the house, shooting an energy blast to the sky.

"Ah!" Aang yelped, throwing up a shield of air around him and Xiaodan as debris land fall around them.

"What are you two doing?!" Katara cried out from inside the main building, watching as the two stood in front of the furious Hei Bai, "Run!"

Blue-white energy shooting from his mouth briefly, Hei Bai rushed towards the main building with a screech. Aang and Xiaodan ran forward simultaneously, the two perfectly in sync with one another as Xiaodan pulled ahead of Aang slightly and crouched, her hands folded in front of her. Still running, Aang put one foot into the cradle Xiaodan's hands made and the white-haired girl propelled him up and Aang jumped over the angry spirit, placing his hand against Hei Bai's forehead as he flipped over it, seeing the blurred image of a panda where instead of the six-armed monster in front of him for a brief moment.

"You're the spirit of this forest!" Aang exclaimed, landing on the main building's porch in front of Hei Bai, "Now I understand. You're upset and angry because your home was burned down."

Xiaodan walked carefully under the Hei Bai and came to a stop at Aang's side, looking up at the silent spirit as it stared down at Aang.

"When I saw the forest had burned, I was sad and upset, but my friend gave me hope that the forest would grow back." Aang said to the spirit as he pulled the acorn Katara had given him and showed it Hei Bai then placed it as his feet.

Xiaodan and Aang watched as Hei Bai picked up the tiny acorn with one of his secondary arms then turned, his great body shimmering before transforming into a giant panda. The two Airbenders watch as the now peaceful spirit lumbered out of the village, a small forest of bamboo growing in front of the entrance as Hei Bai disappeared.

"Sokka!" Katara cried out happily, rushing towards her brother as he and the other three villagers Hei Bai had taken exited the bamboo, their loved ones rushing towards with exclamations of happiness.

"What happened?" Sokka asked his sister as he pulled away from her embrace.

"You were trapped in the Spirit World for twenty-four hours." Katara explained, looking up at her older brother with concern, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I seriously need to use the bathroom."

Xiaodan snorted a laugh as she watched the Water Tribe boy waddle towards the village latrines, leaving a slightly annoyed Katara behind.

"Boys." The white-haired girl muttered to the dark-haired girl, who nodded in agreement with an exasperated eye roll, causing both girls to giggle slightly.

* * *

"Thank you, Avatar." The village leader stated gratefully, as he looked down at the young boy standing in front of him with his three friends, "If only there were a way to repay you for what you've done."

"You could give us some supplies," Sokka said matter-of-factly, "and some money."

"Sokka!" Katara chided the older boy and Xiaodan giggled quietly behind her hand.

"What?" Sokka demanded with a slight pout, "We need supplies."

"It would be an honor to help you prepare for your journey." The village leader agreed with a smile as he bowed before walking away to help some villagers gather supplies for the Avatar.

"I'm so proud of you, Aang." Katara said to the young boy, touching his shoulder lightly, "You figured out what to do, all on your own."

Xiaodan rubbed the top of his head affectionately, "I'm proud of you too, little brother. I knew you could do it."

"Actually, I did have a little help." Aang said, looking at the two girls somewhat sheepishly before ducking his head with a frown as he thought about the comet, "And there's something else."

"What is it?" Sokka and Xiaodan asked at the same time, then gave each other weird looks before looking back at Aang curiously.

"I need to talk to Roku and I think I found a way to contact his spirit." Aang explained, moving to stand in front of his three friends.

"That's great!" Katara said eagerly and Xiaodan nodded in agreement, giving her little brother an encouraging smile.

"Creepy, but great." Sokka agreed, then yelped when Xiaodan pinched his side, giving her a sour look while he rubbed the injury.

"There's a temple on a crescent-shaped island," Aang said, ignoring what Sokka said easily as he continued to explain, "and if I go there on the solstice, I'll be able to speak with him."

"But the solstice is tomorrow!" Katara said with dismay as she, Sokka, and Xiaodan exchanged worriedly looks.

Aang rubbed the back of head, "Yeah and there's one more problem… The island is in the Fire Nation."

"Oh, Spirits." Xiaodan muttered, slapping a hand over her eyes while Sokka and Katara looked at each other fearfully.

* * *

**Author's Note: Phew, not as long as the last few chapters, but still pretty long. Anyhooties, I hope everyone liked this chapter! Next one will be the second part of the Winter Solstice episode, so stay tuned! **

**PS—I know I said I'd probably update every other day, but I'm going to try to get the next chapter out right after this one because I have to go into school tomorrow so I won't be able to write anything until late and I'm pretty sure my brain will be fried by that point so it's okay if y'all don't review this chapter, but I hope you'll review the next one! :)**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You are awesome!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Nizuna Fujieda: **Thanks! I hope you like this chapter too!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Haha two more chapters to go! I hope you like this chapter!

**Mangaloner: **Er, thanks, I think? I hope you like this chapter!

**Vicky Lexi Bennet: **Thank you, I think my ego just got bigger. XD Yeah, AtLA is one of the very few things we share enjoyment in and I was more than happy to write a story for her about it. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Thank you, I was a bit worried because I really, really wasn't sure how I was gonna write Xia into that episode, since it mainly focused Katara, but I'm glad you liked it. I hope you like this chapter!

**AmbrosiaMaestro: **Haha, that's hilarious, if I wasn't so OCD about some things, I would have totally skipped that episode, but alas it was needed for the story, unfortunately…. I hope you like this chapter!


	9. Chapter 9: The Winter Solstice Part 2

**AN: Ninth chapter takes place during Season 1 Episode 8: Winter Solstice Part 2: Avatar Roku. Various POVs as always, enjoy lovelies!**

* * *

"Let's go, Appa! Come on boy!" Aang pleaded, tugging on Appa's reins only for the large sky bison to roar in protest and Aang looked down sadly, "Look, I'm sorry but Katara, Sokka, and Xia aren't coming to the Fire Nation with us. If they got hurt, I'd never forgive myself."

"So get your big butt off the ground and let's go!" Aang shouted and yanked on the reins again only to fall backwards onto his own butt.

"I think his big butt is trying to tell ya something." Sokka drawled from his behind Appa, where Katara and an irritated looking Xiaodan were standing with some of the villagers.

"Please don't go Aang." Katara begged desperately, "The world can't afford to lose you to Fire Nation. Neither can I."

"Besides," Xiaodan cut in, crossing her arms over her chest and giving her brother a stern look, "I thought we had already talked about you running off and trying to do things by yourself."

Aang looked abashedly away from his sister's stern gaze, but an image of the comet appeared in his mind and he jumped to his feet, "But I have to talk to Avatar Roku to find out what my vision means! I need to get to the Fire Temple before the sun sets on the solstice!"

He Airbended himself on to the top of Appa's large head, "That' s today!"

Xiaodan jumped onto Appa's head and snatched the reins from his hands, pushing his head down slightly to keep him from trying to grab the reins back from her, just as Sokka and Katara ran in front of Appa.

"We're not letting you go into the Fire Nation, Aang." Katara stated firmly and Aang gave her surprised look from under Xiaodan's hand.

"At least, not without your friends. We got your back." Sokka said with a grin as Momo perched on Aang's shoulder beside Xiaodan then Appa licked the Water Tribe boy, causing him to cringe, "EW!"

"It's a long journey to Crescent Island." The village leader said, stepping towards Xiaodan and Aang, handing the bundle he carried to Xiaodan, "You'll have to fly fast to have any chance of making it before sundown. Good luck."

Xiaodan released Aang's head so he could look at the village leader while Sokka and Katara crawled into the saddle.

"Thank you for your—"

"Go!" The village leader cut the boy off, pointing towards the ocean and Xiaodan snapped Appa's reins.

"Appa, yip-yip!" the white-haired girl shouted and with a rumbling growl Appa leaps into the air.

* * *

The village leader sighed quietly and pressed a finger to his temple as he left one of the intact buildings in his village only to gasp when he saw the scarred young man standing in front of him.

"Having trouble sleeping?" Zuko asked rhetorically and shoved the leader back into the house, knocking down the door then approached his fallen form, "Seen the Avatar lately?"

* * *

"Faster, Appa, faster!" Xiaodan urged the sky bison from her position on his head, snapping the reins gently to encourage Appa to fly faster, "We've got a long way to go, boy!"

Aang, Katara and Sokka watched the ocean below them fearfully, keeping an eye out for any Fire Nation ships. Xiaodan peered back at them then turned forward again and urged Appa to go a bit faster.

* * *

"Sailing into Fire Nation waters…" Iroh grumbled from behind his nephew, "Of all the foolish things you've done in your sixteen years, Prince Zuko, this is the most foolish!"

"I have no choice, Uncle."

"Have you completely forgotten that the Fire Lord banished you!?" Iroh demanded angrily before his tone turned fearful, "What if you are caught?"

"I'm chasing the Avatar!" Zuko snarled whirling away from the telescope to look at his uncle, "My father will understand why I am returning home!"

"You give him too much credit." Iroh observed, crossing his arms over his chest, "My brother is not the understanding type."

Zuko scowled slightly and turned back to the telescope, catching sight of the Avatar's sky bison in mid-flight, "There they are. Helmsman! Full steam ahead!"

* * *

Katara's eyes widened when she saw the familiar Fire Nation warship.

"Uh, Aang, Xia." She called back to the two Airbenders sitting atop Appa's head, "We've got trouble."

"Yeah!" Sokka squawked looking over his sister's shoulder in panic, "And it's gaining…Fast!"

Xiaodan quickly passed the reins to Aang and Airbended herself back into the saddle, quickly moving towards the very back where she could keep an eye on the small warship.

* * *

Zuko watched as the catapult was raised onto the deck and the nasty smelling oil was poured over the projectile, one of his men holding a sword in preparation to launch the steaming projectile on Zuko's orders.

"Ugh, really Prince Zuko, couldn't you shoot them down with something more fragrant?" Iroh complained, whipping his fan out of his robes' sleeve and waving it at his face.

Zuko ignored his uncle and lit the stinking ball with a fire blast, "On my mark!"

He waited a moment then slashed his hand down, "Fire!"

The soldier cut the rope and the flaming projectile was catapulted towards the sky bison.

(((LINE))

"Fireball!" Katara screamed, looking back at Aang.

"I'm on it!" Aang called back, steering Appa to the side to avoid the ball of fire.

"Spirits!" Xiaodan gagged, pinching her nose along with her three friends as the stench of the passing fireball assaulted their noses, "That is awful!"

"We have to get out of his range, before he shoots another hot stinker at us!" Katara shouted, covering her nose with her arm as she tried to block the smell.

"Can't you make Appa go any faster?" Sokka demanded and gagged at the smell.

"Yeah," Aang said then cringed slightly, "There's just one little problem…"

"Oh man…" Xiaodan mumbled, staring wide-eyed at what was in front of them.

* * *

Zuko's good eye became wide, "A blockade…"

"Technically you are still in Earth Kingdom waters." Iroh stated, wincing slightly when he noticed the two rows of Fire Nation ships began to ready their catapults, "Turn back now and they cannot arrest you!"

* * *

"If we fly north, we can go around the Fire Nation ships and avoid the blockade." Aang called back to the three sitting fearfully in the saddle, "It's the _only_ way!"

"There's no time!" Katara protested, crawling to lean against the front of the saddle.

"This is exactly why didn't want you guys to come!" Aang snapped, looking over his shoulder at his friends, "It's too dangerous!"

"And that's _exactly _why we're here." Katara snapped back sternly/

"Let's run this blockade!" Sokka cheered boldly and he, Katara, and Xiaodan grinned at Aang confidently.

"Ha!" Xiaodan gave a bark of laughter and Airbended herself next to Aang on Appa's head, "I laugh in the face of danger!"

Aang's expression became determined and he turned to face the incoming blockade, "Appa, yip-yip!"

Appa roared and slapped his tail, picking up speed as he sailed through the air rapidly.

* * *

"He's not turning around!" Zuko exclaimed in surprise as he watched the sky bison soar even faster towards the blockade.

"Please, Prince Zuko!" Iroh begged his nephew, "If the Fire Nation captures you, there's nothing I can do! Do not follow the Avatar."

"I'm sorry, Uncle." Zuko said softly and bowed his head before turning to face his men, pointing to the blockade, "Run the blockade!"

* * *

"The Avatar…" Commander Zhao mused then lowered the telescope to the small warship, "And the banished prince. This must be my lucky day."

"Commander Zhao, what are your orders?" A soldier asked from behind the smirking commander.

"Shoot the bison down, captain."

"But there's a Fire Nation ship out there, sir!" the captain exclaimed in surprise, "One of our own! What if it's hit?"

"So be it." Zhao stated coolly and the captain backed up a step, "It belongs to a traitor."

"Ignite." Zhao ordered and the projectiles were lit on fire, "Launch!"

* * *

"AH!" Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan screamed as the fireballs flew towards them, Appa swerving and weaving to avoid being hit, some of the fireballs exploding as they passed.

Xiaodan yelped as Appa flew directly through one of the fireball that exploded, Appa's fur darkening with soot.

"Fire!" The white-haired girl called out, leaning out of the saddle to slap out the embers that were on Appa's fur along with Katara, Sokka, and Momo.

"Appa, are you okay?" Aang questioned his animal guide worriedly and Appa roared in answer, Aang taking that as an affirmative so Aang pulled the reins and they soar higher into the sky.

* * *

The fireballs rain down around Zuko's ship, narrowly missing the vessel and sending sheets of ocean water crashing over the deck, the crew members running for safety to avoid being pulled into the churning ocean by the angry waves.

"Prince Zuko!" One of the engineers cried out to the prince after a fireball hit the aft side of the ship, "The engines are damaged! We need to stop and make repairs!"

Zuko spun away from the man and glared towards the blockade, ordering over his shoulder, "Do _**not**_ stop this ship."

* * *

"Launch!" Zhao commands and the catapults launch their flaming missiles towards the bison flying high overhead.

* * *

The four teens scream as more fireballs burst from the clouds, heading straight toward them and Aang jerked Appa's reins to the left in an attempt to dodge the projectiles. Sokka, Katara, and Xiaodan clutch the sides of the saddle tightly and close their eyes against the smoke billowing around them.

Appa dodged as many of the fireballs as possible until two collide in front of him, the smoke stinging his eyes causing him roar and jerk back, accidently throwing Sokka from the saddle. Katara screamed and reached for her brother while Xiaodan lunged forward and attempted to snatch the young man's hand, missing by mere inches. Sokka screamed loudly as he fell through the clouds and plunged towards the ocean below, his arm still outstretched from his attempt to grab Xiaodan's hand.

"Sokka!" The white-haired girl yelled and snatched up her staff, snapping it open as she leapt from Appa's back and dove towards the screaming boy.

"Xia! Sokka!" Aang cried out desperately then jerked Appa's reins down so that the sky bison dove speedily towards the two teens.

* * *

Xiaodan dove steeply, using Airbending to propel herself faster until she flew right under Sokka's falling form, pulling up sharply when she was right underneath him, effectively catching him atop her glider. Sokka clutched the top of the glider tightly, still screaming as they ocean continued to get closer and closer.

"Hang on, Sokka!" Xiaodan screamed as she tried to slow their descent towards the ocean just as Appa appeared underneath them, where Katara was reaching her hand out.

Xiaodan released on hand from the spars and grasped Katara's hand and the dark-haired girl pulls both Xiaodan and Sokka into the saddle, the white-haired girl snapping her glider shut as soon as her feet touched the saddle then grabbed Sokka by the arm to keep him from falling back out. Appa roared loudly as his feet skim the ocean before he rises slightly above it while Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan clutch the front of the saddle tightly.

A fish jumped out of nowhere and smacked Sokka in the face, knocking him onto his back in the middle of the saddle then Momo jumped up and caught the fish before it could dive back into the water. Xiaodan hurriedly helped Sokka back to his knees then wrapped her arm around him and Katara and the three clutched the front of the saddle again as Aang flew Appa closer and closer to the Fire Nation blockade, fireballs striking the water all around them.

* * *

"Ready…" Zhao called out to his soldiers, holding his hand up and waiting to give the signal.

* * *

Aang flew closer to the blockade with a look of obstinate determination on his face while Sokka, Katara, and Xiaodan clutched the saddle rim tightly, their heads ducked down.

* * *

Zhao's eyes narrowed then he slashed his hand downward, "Fire!"

The catapult behind him launched the fireball directly at the sky bison.

* * *

Aang closed his eyes then snapped it open, unafraid as he leapt from Appa's head and Airbended himself towards the fireball. The young Airbender spun himself around to gather momentum then kicked his foot out, sending a power blast of air towards the flaming projectile causing it to explode in a large smoky blast.

Xiaodan lunged forward and grabbed her brother's arms along with Sokka and Katara when he flew back into Appa's head with a grunt then the white-haired girl flipped over him and grabbed the reins, flying Appa safely over the stunned Fire Nation soldiers as they watched from their ships.

"We made it!" Aang exclaimed ecstatically, punching his fist in the air while Xiaodan gave a cheer and the Water Tribe siblings grimaced in terror.

"We got into the Fire Nation." Sokka stated meekly, "Great."

* * *

"Where do you think the Avatar is headed, sir?" the captain asked Commander Zhao curiously.

"I'm not sure." The man replied and turned to look at Zuko's smoking ship, "But I bet a certain banished prince will know."

* * *

"We're on a collision course!" Iroh exclaimed as he watched two much large Fire Nation warships sail towards each other, about to cut off Zuko's ship's path.

"We can make it." Zuko stated confidently as he watched the gap between the two ships grow smaller.

* * *

Zhao's captain stood in front of a small squad of nine Firebenders behind Commander Zhao.

"The boarding party is ready to apprehend Prince Zuko, sir." The captain reported calmly.

"Wait!" Zhao ordered quickly, holding his hand up to stop the men, "Cut the engines and let them pass."

"Sir?" the captain questioned in confusion.

* * *

Zuko watched through narrowed eyes as each ship in the blockade grinds to halt, allowing his ship to pass untouched. Gold eyes met cold brown as Zuko glared up at Zhao from the top deck of his ship.

Iroh stroked his beard curiously as he and his nephew look behind them at the Fire Nation ships in silence as they sail safely through.

* * *

Xiaodan sprawled out in the middle of the saddle on her back, one hand resting on her still racing heart while Katara and Sokka sat up near the front of the saddle and Aang sat on Appa's head.

As the day passed and the sun reached its highest point Sokka shifted to the back of the saddle where he slumped forward while Katara leaned her arms over the front of the saddle. Xiaodan had taken Aang's spot on Appa's head while the bald boy lounged against the sky bison's neck with his hands behind his head.

They continued flying in silence as the sun began to set and the sky turned a pinkish-orange and Appa was visibly tired, his head dropping slightly. Aang was once again taken position atop Appa's head, sprawled out on his belly with Momo in the same position on his own head. Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan were lying next to each other in the saddle, both Sokka and Xiaodan dozing slightly.

Suddenly Momo perked up and began bouncing on Aang's head, causing the young boy to look up as well.

"There it is!" He cried out as he lifted his head and his three friends shift into a kneeling position in the saddle, "The island where Roku's dragon took me."

"Wow…" Xiaodan muttered to herself as she took in the large, crescent shaped island and the smoking volcano in the center as Appa descended.

* * *

"You did it buddy!" Aang said happily as he hugged Appa's face after they had landed at the base of a stone bridge that lead up the side of the volcanic mountain and ended at the elegant, multi-story Fire Temple, "Nice flying."

Appa bellowed in satisfaction and rolled onto his side, waving three of his legs into the air lazily as his tongue lolled out, causing Xiaodan to chuckle from her spot near his side by Katara.

"Poor baby, you must be exhausted." The white-haired girl cooed as she and Katara rubbed the sky bison's belly affectionately.

"No! I'm good!" Sokka called out happily as he stretched behind the two girls, "Refreshed and ready to fight some Firebenders!"

"She was talking to Appa." Katara stated drily, looking at her brother with a hand propped on her hip.

Sokka paused in his stretching then gestured to Momo who was hanging on a dead tree branch, "Well… I was talking to Momo."

"Right…" Xiaodan drawled and turned back to rub Appa's belly.

* * *

"I don't see any guards." Sokka observed as the four teens plus Momo peered over a small wall below the steps leading into the temple.

"The Fire Nation must have abandoned the temple when Avatar Roku died."

"It's almost sundown." Xiaodan pointed out quietly, gesturing to the setting sun and Aang leapt to his feet.

"We better hurry!" He exclaimed as he rushed up the steps and towards the front door with Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan with Momo on her shoulder right behind him.

The four tip-toe through the enormous entrance chamber with fire-décor columns.

"Wait." Sokka whispered as he paused, "I think I heard something."

The four turn around and froze when the y saw fire men dressed in red and wearing tall hats standing in the hallway.

"We are the Fire Sages." The old man in front of the five others stated, "Guardians of the temple of the Avatar."

"Great!" Aang exclaimed happily as he walked forward, "I'm the Avatar!"

"We know." The lead Fire Sage said then inhaled briskly and punched a blast of fire at the four teens.

"Whoa!" Xiaodan yelped and whipped her staff from her back, spinning it in front of her to disperse the fire blast.

Aang leapt in front of her and deflected the three other fire blasts the Sages sent at them using Airbending, "I'll hold them off. Run!"

Xiaodan hesitated and Sokka grabbed her arm, pulling her after him and Katara as they raced down the hallway in front of them, leaving Aang to deal with the Fire Sages.

* * *

Once he saw his friends disappear down the hallway, Aang leapt forward and crouched, spinning his leg across the ground and sending a blade of air at the Fire Sages' legs causing them to fall to the ground with surprised gasps. Aang quickly jumped to his feet and raced after his friends.

* * *

"If the Avatar contacts Roku, there's no telling how powerful the boy will become!" The lead Fire Sage snapped as he and the other Sages got to their feet, "Split up and find him!"

* * *

Katara, Sokka and Xiaodan raced through the hallways, pausing when Aang suddenly skidded in front of them and darted in the direction the three teens had been originally heading in.

"Follow me!" the young Airbender shouted over his shoulder.

"Do you know where you're going?!" Sokka demanded as he, Katara, and Xiaodan raced after Aang.

"Nope!" Aang shouted back, turning a corner only to come skidding back and run back down the hallway, "Wrong way!"

"Ack!" Xiaodan squeaked and darted after Aang along with Katara and Sokka when they saw one of Fire Sages appear around the corner.

"Come back!" the Fire Sage called out to them before running after them.

* * *

The four turn another corner and charge down the hallway, with Aang leading the other three only to skid to a stop when they notice the hallway lead to dead end. The four spin around to face the Fire Sage, Xiaodan moving into defensive positions in front of the others.

"I don't want to fight you!" The Fire Sage said softly, holding out his hands, "I am a friend."

"Firebenders aren't our friends!" Sokka snapped as Aang stepped up beside Xiaodan and assumed an Airbending position like her.

Xiaodan tensed when the Fire Sage stepped towards Aang, but hesitated in attacking when the man dropped to his knees and pressed his hands to the floor in a gesture of submission.

"Uh…" the white-haired girl stuttered in confusion as her friends looked down at the Sage in equal surprise and confusion.

"I know why you're here, Avatar." The man stated, still on the floor.

"You do?" Aang questioned in surprise as he straightened from his defensive position.

"Yes," the man replied then got to his feet, "You wish to speak to Avatar Roku. I can take you to him."

"How?" Xiaodan asked skeptically, still tense but no longer in an Airbending stance, "And who are you?"

"I am Shyu." The Sage, Shyu, said.

The four watched as he slid back a lamplight on the wall then placed his palm on the spot the lamp used to be, focusing his firebending in that area which caused a secret passage to open, "This way will lead you to Avatar Roku."

The four hesitate a moment until the lead Fire Sage's voice echoed down the hall.

"Time is running out!" Shyu insisted as he looked down the hall then gestured to the secret passageway, "Quickly!"

Aang and Xiaodan exchange a look before the older girl nodded and she entered the passage way first, followed by Aang then Katara and Sokka with Shyu entering last and closing the secret door behind them.

* * *

"What's he up to Uncle?" Zuko asked aloud, gripping the railing beside his telescope tightly until his knuckles turned white as smoke billowed behind his ship, "Why didn't Commander Zhao arrest me?"

"Because he wants to follow you." Iroh stated wisely, "He knows you'll lead him to the prize you're both after; the Avatar."

"If Zhao wants to follow our trail of smoke, then that's exactly what I'll let him do." Zuko growled quietly as an idea began to form in his mind.

* * *

"Avatar Roku once called this temple his home." Shyu explained as lead the group down a set of stairs, "He formed these secret passages out of the magma."

"Impressive." Xiaodan murmured as she looked at the passage's red walls.

"Did you know Avatar Roku?" Aang asked as he followed behind the helpful Fire Sage.

"No." Shyu replied with a shake of his head, "But my grandfather knew him. Many generations of Fire Sages guarded this Fire Temple long before me. We have a strong spiritual connection to tis place."

"Is that how you knew Aang was coming?" Xiaodan piped in after seeing the questioning looking on her little brother's face.

"A few weeks ago, an amazing thing occurred." Shyu explained as they began walking up a set of stairs, "The statue of Avatar Roku, its eyes began to glow!"

"That's when we were at the Air Temple." Katara commented, "Avatar Roku's eyes were glowing there too!"

"At that moment, we knew you had returned to the world."

"If this is the Avatar's temple, why did the sages attack me?" Aang questioned, looking at Shyu's back imploringly.

"Things have changed." Shyu stated regretfully, "In the past, the sages were loyal only to the Avatar. When Roku died, the sages eagerly awaited for the next Avatar to return. But he never came."

Aang stopped walking and looked down guiltily, "They were waiting for me."

"Hey don't feel bad." Sokka said, putting a hand on the younger boy's shoulder, "You're only a hundred years late."

Aang scowled heavily at the older boy and Xiaodan punched Sokka in the shoulder as she past him as she continued to follow the Fire Sage.

"Shut up, Sokka." The white-haired girl called over her shoulder as she walked away, ignoring the glare Sokka was giving her as he rubbed his shoulder.

"They lost hope the Avatar would ever return. When Fire Lord Sozin began the War, my grandfather and the other sages were forced to follow him." Shyu continued then shook his head sadly, "I never wanted to serve the Fire Lord. When I learned you were coming, I knew I would betray the other Sages."

"Thank you for helping me." Aang said sincerely and Shyu smiled at the young boy happily before they continued to walk.

They reached a set of stairs that spiral high above their heads, "We'll follow these stairs to the sanctuary."

* * *

The group walked in silence as they continued up the flight of stairs that seemed to never end until Shyu began speaking again as they neared the top.

"Once you're inside, wait for the light to hit Avatar Roku's statue. Only then will you be able to speak with him."

The group watched as Shyu slid back a secret tile and looked around then climbed out and into a large room with massive columns with dragon statues atop them and an immense door with a device holding five open-mouthed dragons dominated the room. The four teens plus Momo follow the Fire Sage and the man gasped in dismay.

"No!"

"Shyu, what's wrong?" Aang asked as he approached the closed door with Xiaodan right behind him.

"The sanctuary doors, they are closed!"

Aang tugged at the doors but they didn't budge and Katara looked at Shyu questioning.

"Can't you just open them with Firebending? Like you opened that other door?"

"No." Shyu replied with a shake of his head, "Only a fully realized Avatar is powerful enough to open this door alone. Otherwise, the Sages must open this door together with five simultaneous fire blasts."

"Five fire blasts, huh?" Sokka stated ponderously as he tapped his chin in thought then the lamplight above his head flickered on and he grinned, "I think I can help you out."

Xiaodan quirked an eyebrow at him curiously while the others just looked at him.

* * *

"Uncle, keep heading north." Zuko ordered as the small boat is lowered from his warship with him on it, "Zhao will follow the smoke trail, while I use it as a cover."

Iroh grunted in doubtful agreement and stroked his chin thoughtfully as he watched Zuko's small boat be lowered onto the water's surface and disappeared into the smoke.

* * *

Zhao glared through his telescope at the smoke billowing from behind the banished prince's ship. He lowered the telescope and stared in that direction with determination.

* * *

Xiaodan crouched beside Sokka as she watched him pour oil from the lamplights into a bag.

"This is a little trick I picked up from my father." He explained as he tied the bag shut, "I seal the lamp oil inside an animal skin casing, Shyu lights the oil soaked twine and ta-da! Fake Firebending."

"You've really outdone yourself this time, Sokka." Katara stated, actually impressed.

Xiaodan nodded, grinning at the boy, "This is genius, Sokka, if I didn't see you as a brother I would kiss you."

Sokka blushed brightly at her words causing her to laugh quietly as she got to her feet and helped him put the oil filled bags into the dragons' mouths.

"This might actually work." Shyu murmured with a slight smile.

* * *

"The Sages will hear the explosion." Shyu said to Aang as he watched Sokka fit the last bag into the dragon's mouth, careful not to let the teeth puncture the animal skin, "So as soon as they go off, you rush in!"

Holding Momo to her chest, Katara hid behind on of the columns in front of the large door then glanced over to where Aang was hiding behind the column next to hers with Xiaodan.

"It's almost sunset. Are you ready?" She asked as Sokka rushed over to stand beside her, his fingers in his ears.

"Definitely." Aang stated confidently with a nod of his head then he and Xia ducked behind the pillar as Shyu sent a small stream of fire from his finger, catching the oil soaked twine on fire then the Sage rushed over to hide behind the pillar with Xiaodan and Aang.

_**BOOM! **_

Xiaodan winced and cringed back behind the pillar as the oil-filled bags exploded and smoke billowed out towards them. Aang rushed into the smoke towards the doors and tried to yank them open, only for it to remain closed.

"It's still locked!" He called over his shoulder in surprise as the smoke cleared.

Shyu sighed sadly and shook his head as Sokka rose to his feet from behind Katara while Xiaodan made her way over to Aang.

"It didn't work." Shyu stated sadly and Aang fell to his knees, Xiaodan resting her hand against his shoulder in silent comfort.

* * *

"Why. Won't. It. Open?!" Aang shouted as he furiously beat against the door with powerful gusts of wind that somewhat shook the room.

"Aang! Stop!" Katara ordered, grabbing Aang's arm when he went to throw another blast of air at the door then she released his arm when she had his attention, "There's nothing else we can do…"

"I'm sorry I put you through all this for nothing." Aang apologized glumly as he hung his head.

"I don't get it." Sokka stated in confusion as he stood in front of the locked door and ran a finger through the black soot, "That blast looked as strong as any Firebending I've seen."

"Sokka, you're a genius!" Katara exclaimed excited after a moment when an idea hit her.

"Wait." Aang said, looking at Katara in confusion, "How is Sokka a genius? His plan didn't even work."

"Come on, Aang." Sokka quipped happily, "Let her dream."

Katara shook her head and began explaining, "You're right. Sokka's plan _didn't_ work, but it _looks _like it did."

A grin slowly spread across Xiaodan's face as she understood what Katara was saying, "Oh, I get it!"

Katara grinned at her happily but Aang continued to look confused, looking from one grinning girl to the other.

"Did the definition of genius change over the last hundred years?"

Katara grabbed her chin and smiled slyly at the young boy while Xiaodan practically bounced with excitement and eagerness.

* * *

"Come quickly!" Shyu shouted when he saw the other Fire Sages and he gestured towards the soot covered door, "The Avatar has entered the sanctuary!"

"How did he get in?" The lead Fire Sage demanded and Shyu shrugged.

"I don't know!" Shyu proclaimed then gestured towards the scorch marks on the floor, "But look at the scorch marks! And down there!"

The other Fire Sages looked down and gasped when they saw the shadow visible at the bottom of the door.

"He's inside!" the oldest Fire Sage exclaimed, "Open the doors immediately! Before he contacts Avatar Roku!"

Xiaodan watched as Aang slid into position behind a nearby column from her spot perched above him atop the dragon. She then turned her gaze to the five Sages as they all took deep breathes then send five streams of fire into the open mouths of the dragons on the door, causing the locks to shift open.

The five Sages stay in a Firebending position, ready to attack the Avatar as soon as the door is opened only to pause when they see the soot covered lemur in the dark room.

"It's the Avatar's lemur!" The lead Fire Sage cried out, "He must have crawled through the pipes. We've been tricked!"

At that moment, Momo leapt onto the lead Fire Sage's head and clung to his hat just while Katara rushed forward from behind a pillar and yanked the tunic over one of the Sage's head effectively blinding him. Sokka and Xiaodan rush forward at the same time and grab the lower skirt of a nearby Sage's outfit then together they pull the fabric completely over his body to cover his face.

"Now, Aang!" Shyu shouted as he grabbed the last free Sage and pinned him , but Aang didn't appear.

"Aang! Now's your chance!" Katara shouted as she, Sokka, and Xiaodan pinned the two Sages they had attacked to the ground.

"You!" Xiaodan nearly roared as she leapt to her feet with a snarl when Zuko appeared from behind the pillar, pinning Aang's arms behind his back, "Let my brother go!"

"The Avatar is coming with me!" Zuko snapped as he pushed Aang towards the secret tile in the floor while the Sages gained the upper hand and pinned Sokka, Katara, Xiaodan and Shyu while Momo flew away with the lead Sage's hat.

"Close the doors! Quickly!" Zuko ordered harshly as he forced Aang to walk towards the open tile.

"Let me go!" Xiaodan screeched, thrashing in lead Sage's grip, "Aang!"

Aang glanced over his shoulder and tensed when he saw the Sages chaining Xiaodan, Sokka, Katara, and Shyu to a column. The young Airbender twisted his arms free from Zuko's grasp them spun around him and kicked him down the stairs with an Airbending blast.

Xiaodan saw Aang running towards her, Sokka, and Katara and quickly shook her head.

"No, Aang!" She shouted at him and turned her head to the closing door, "Go!"

Aang twisted himself in the other direction and raced towards the closing door without hesitation, leaping into the air to avoid the fire blast the Great Fire Sage sent at him. He flipped himself over, bouncing first off the Great Sage's head then another sage's head and flew through door just as it closed behind him.

"Whoo!" Xiaodan cheered loudly, childishly sticking her tongue at the Sages in victory.

"He made it!" Katara said happily, obviously pleased as the door sealed shut with a blinding flash of white light.

* * *

Aang kneeled in front of Avatar Roku's statue and looked up at it as a beam of red sunlight appeared in the room and struck the glistening red jewel held in the statue's hands.

"The light hits the statue and I talk to Roku." Aang stated in confusion as he stood, "So why isn't anything happening?"

* * *

Xiaodan smiled smugly as she, Katara, Sokka, and Shyu watched the four Fire Sages and Zuko launched blasts of fire into the door's locks but nothing happened.

"Why isn't it working, it's sealed shut?" Zuko demanded, frustrated at not being able to get into the room.

"It must have been the light." The Great Sage commented, "Avatar Roku doesn't want us inside."

"Hmm… I wonder why that is." Xiaodan quipped from behind them, still chained to the column with her two friends and Shyu, "I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that you just tried to kill his reincarnation or anything."

"Shut up!" Zuko roared as he whirled to face the smug white-haired girl.

Xiaodan smiled at him, although it looked more like she was baring her teeth at him and Zuko scowled darkly at her.

* * *

"Why isn't anything happening?" Aang questioned aloud in exasperation as he stood in the middle of the room facing Roku's statue, "I don't know what I'm doing! All I know is Airbending! Please Avatar Roku, talk to me!"

Avatar Roku's statue turned red as the sunlight engulfed it and its eye began to glow white. Aang didn't look away from the statue as the room began to fill with smoke and when the smoke dissipated, Avatar Roku stood before the young Airbender on a mountaintop where only clouds are visible.

"It's good to see you, Aang." Roku greeted the young Avatar, his lips quirked with good humor, "What took you so long?"

Aang closed his mouth with a snap then respectfully placed his fist into his palm and bowed his head to his past life.

* * *

"Why did you help the Avatar?" Zuko questioned the bound Fire Sage in front of him firmly.

"Because it was once the Sages' duty." Shyu stated sadly but with pride as he looked at the prince, "It is still our duty."

Sudden clapping interrupts the interrogation and the Sages looked behind the banished prince, staring as Commander Zhao and six Firebender guards approached.

"What a moving and heartfelt performance." The haughty man mocked, "I'm certain the Fire Lord will understand, when you explain why you betrayed him."

The Great Fire Sage stepped forward and placed his palms together, bowing over them, "Commander Zhao."

"And Prince Zuko," Zhao stated, ignoring the Great Fire Sage as one of his Firebenders came up behind the prince, "It was a noble effort, but your little smokescreen didn't work. To traitors in one day, the Fire Lord _will_ be please."

Zuko scowled darkly at the older man and jerked forward when one of Zhao's Firebenders grabbed his arms, pinning them behind his back.

"You're too late, Zhao!" Zuko snapped as he strained against his captor, "The Avatar's inside and the doors are sealed."

"No matter." Zhao replied confidently as he cast a sidelong glance at the sealed doors, "Sooner or later, he _has _to come out."

Xiaodan sucked in a worried breath and her whole body tensed as she stared intently at the new man threatening her brother while Katara and Sokka shared an apprehensive glance.

* * *

"I have something very important to tell you, Aang." Roku said calmly as he faced the young Airbender, "That is why, when you were in the Spirit World, I sent my dragon to find you."

"Is it about that vision?" Aang questioned curiously, "The one about the comet?"

"Yes."

"What does it mean?"

"One hundred years ago," Roku began to explain, "Fire Lord Sozin used that comet to begin the War. He and his Firebending army harnessed its incredible power, and dealt a deadly first strike against the other nations."

"So the comet made them stronger?" Aang asked carefully and again Roku nodded.

"Yes. Stronger than you could even imagine."

"But that happened a hundred years ago." Aang stated in confusion, "What does the comet have to do with the War _now_?"

"Listen carefully." Roku instructed, "Sozin's Comet will return by the end of the summer and Fire Lord Ozai will use its power to finish the War, once and for all. If he succeeds, even the Avatar won't be able to restore balance to the world."

Roku looked down at Aang seriously, "Aang, you _must _defeat the Fire Lord, before the comet arrives."

"But I haven't even started learning Waterbending!" Aang protested anxiously as he looked up at Roku, "Not to mention earth and fire!"

"Mastering the elements takes years of discipline and practice." Roku stated unyieldingly, "But if the world is to survive, you must do by summer's end."

Aang looked up at his past life with a shocked and worried expression on his young face.

* * *

Xiaodan wiggled against her bonds as she watched the Sages, Commander Zhao and his Firebenders circle around the door's perimeter and assume a Firebending stance, waiting patiently for the door to open.

"When those doors open," Zhao began then rose his voice to a shout, "unleash all of your firepower!"

"How's Aang gonna make it out of this?" Katara asked worriedly as she looked at the Firebenders.

"How are _we_ gonna make it out of this?" Sokka countered just as worried as his sister.

Xiaodan ignored both of them as she continued to wriggle against the bonds around her wrists, her orange-eyed gaze never leaving the still closed door.

* * *

"What if I can't master all the elements in time?" Aang asked Roku, his tone terrified, "What if I fail?"

"I know you can do it, Aang." Roku said it encouragingly, "For you have done it before."

Aang smiled slightly at the meaning of Roku's words.

"The solstice is ending. We must go our separate ways, for now." Roku commented quietly.

"But I won't be able to come back to the temple." Aang stated, sounding worried again, "What if I have questions? How will I talk to you?"

"I am a part of you. When you need to talk to me again, you will find a way." Roku reassured then closed his eyes, showing Aang a vision of Fire Navy ships surrounding the island, "A great danger awaits you at the temple."

Roku showed Aang another vision of the Firebenders waiting on the other side of the door, "I can help you face the threat. But only if you are ready."

Aang's eyes and arrow tattoos begin to glow and he nodded his head, "I'm ready."

* * *

Xiaodan sucked in a deep breath as the door began to glow brightly and smoke began to pour out from under it. Her whole body tensed as the doors unlocked itself and began to open, a blinding while light forcing everyone in the room to look away as the door opened fully.

"Ready…" Zhao stated as the light faded and revealed a pair of glowing white eyes in the darkness of the room.

"Aang!" Xiaodan shouted and began to struggle against her bonds fiercely along with Sokka.

"No!" Katara screamed in terror as the Firebenders prepare to attack, "Aang!"

"Fire!" Zhao commanded, ignoring the two girls' shouts from behind him as he and his guards send a simultaneous blast of fire at the unseen target.

Xiaodan gasped in awe as the wall of fire began to circle around its new host, revealing Avatar Roku, eyes glowing piercingly behind the wall of flames, completely untouched. The white-haired girl didn't bother to suppress the feeling of smug satisfaction when she got the terror-stricken look on Commander Zhao's face.

"Avatar Roku…" Shyu breathed quietly as he stared in awe at the previous Avatar.

They all watch as Avatar Roku drew the circling fire together in a single motion, then launched it forward in one powerful wave that seared the room and blasted his attackers off their feet. The previous Avatar's attack was so precise that the chains binding Xiaodan, Katara, Sokka, Shyu, and Zuko to their pillars melted without ever touching either of them, and Zuko took that moment to rush from the room and out of the temple. The blast even destroyed the outer wall of the temple, revealing the Fire Navy ships surrounding the island.

Avatar Roku turned his furious, glowing gaze onto the Fire Sages who cowered in fear and in a panic, fled from the room to escape his wrath.

"Avatar Roku is going to destroy the temple!" Shyu exclaimed, "We _have _to get out of here!

"Not without Aang!" Xiaodan yelled as she, Katara, Sokka, and Shyu hid behind the pillar they had been chained to while Avatar Roku destroyed his temple.

The previous Avatar knelt into a forward strike and melted the floor of the outer sanctuary with a molten Firebending trail. Then he steadily began to lift his hand, causing the lava below to temple to bubble the rise and finally erupt into furious explosions, soaring through the temple and tearing it apart from the inside.

Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan huddle behind the pillar with Sokka kneeling over both girls in a protective, brotherly fashion and the destruction stopped momentarily as Avatar Roku lowered his hands and exhaled loudly.

In the inner sanctuary, the solstice's beam of sunlight began to leave the previous Avatar's statue, it's eyes no longer glowed and as this happened, Avatar Roku drew upon all the smoke in the room, his form disappearing in the haze and leaving a weary Aang behind.

"Aang!" Xiaodan shouted as she raced out from behind the pillar and got the younger Airbender as he fell to his knees, hooking his arm over shoulder in an effort to keep him on his feet.

"We got your back." Sokka stated as he and Katara walked over, Sokka wrapping Aang's other arm over his shoulder as he and Xiaodan hold him up.

"Thanks." Aang murmurs weakly, leaning his head against Xiaodan's shoulder, "Where's Shyu?"

"I don't know." Katara replied, walking in front of them as she led them towards the stairwell to leave the temple.

The four stared in horror at the stairwell filled with lava, gasping when a pillar fell down near then before running towards the only available exit, the giant hole in the wall. They stare in dismay when they realize they can't go that way because they are on the top floor of the temple.

"Look!" Xiaodan shouted excitedly, leaning out the giant hole and pointing towards where Appa and Momo are flying towards them quickly.

The four teens took a few steps back then raced towards the hole and jumped out, landing in Appa's saddle as he flew past. Xiaodan, Aang, Katara, and Sokka all look back at the island as Appa flew away, frowning slightly as they watched the temple fall.

Suddenly, Momo popped up from between Aang and Xiaodan, the Great Fire Sage's hat on his head, causing the white-haired girl to laugh slightly.

* * *

Zhao glared darkly as he watched the Avatar's sky bison fly away from him then he whirled around to face the bound Fire Sages surrounded by his guards.

"No Prince, no Avatar." Zhao snarled as he glared at the five men, "Apparently the only thing I do have is five _traitors_!"

"But Commander!" the Great Fire Sage protested, "Only Shyu helped the Avatar."

"Save your stories for the Fire Lord. As far as I'm concerned, you're all guilty!" Zhao snapped harshly before ordering, "Take them to the prison hold!"

* * *

Back on his small boat, Zuko looked through his telescope at the Avatar's flying bison as it soared away from the burning island behind him. Scowling, the banished prince turned to sail his boat back to his warship.

* * *

The sky now dark with nighttime, Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka slowly get up from their seats in Appa's saddle and sit beside Aang, who had his head hung in mourning. Xiaodan wrapped her arms around him in a sisterly embrace while Katara and Sokka put their hands on is shoulder, Appa continuing to fly out of the Fire Nation.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoot! Two chapters in one day! I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to finish this chapter in time but I'm super-super ecstatic that I did. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and the last chapter because the next chapter will possibly be the last time Aang sees Xiaodan for quite some time. Next chapter will take place during Season 1 Episode 9: The Waterbending Scroll, which will be posted on Tuesday, so stay tuned for that!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys rock!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**None because I don't think I gave any of you guys enough time to review the last chapter. XD**


	10. Chapter 10: The Waterbending Scroll

**AN: Tenth chapter takes place during Season 1 Episode 9: The Waterbending Scroll and I'm pretty sure this is the chapter a lot of you have been waiting for, I know I've been waiting for it and not just because this episode was one of my favorites. XD  
Various POVs as usual, enjoy lovelies!**

* * *

Xiaodan watched as Aang paced around Appa's saddle, panting heavily, from her spot on Appa's neck, her lips quirked in amusement as Appa flew through the mountains.

"Would you sit down!?" Sokka demanded from his spot on Appa's head, the reins in his hands as he turned to glare slightly over his shoulder at the fretting Airbender, "If we hit a bump, you'll go flying off. What's bugging you anyway?"

"It's what Avatar Roku said." Aang replied, standing at the front of the saddle and looking down at Sokka and Xiaodan, "I'm supposed to master all four elements before that comet arrives."

"Well, let's see. You pretty much mastered Airbending and that only tool you a hundred and twelve years." Sokka stated sarcastically as he looked at Aang over his shoulder with a slight smirk, "I'm sure you can master three more elements by next summer."

"I haven't even started Waterbending and we're still weeks away from the North Pole!" Aang panicked as he began pacing again, clutching his head, "What am I gonna do?"

Sokka gave a quiet yelp when he felt the familiar stinging sensation of Xiaodan's hand connecting with the back of his head, the smirk on his face being wiped off as he pouted.

"You're not funny, Sokka." Xiaodan grunted as she Airbended herself up onto the saddle and walked over to where Aang was standing next to Katara.

"Calm down, it's going to be okay." The white-haired girl soothed as she pulled him down to sit beside her and in front of Katara.

"Yeah," Katara agreed, taking Aang's hands in hers, "If you want, I can try to teach you some of the stuff I know."

"You'd do that?" Aang asked the dark-haired girl, a smile appearing on his face.

Katara nodded with a sincere smile, then looked over the side of the saddle, "We'll need to find a good source of water first."

"Maybe we can find a puddle for you to splash in." Sokka quipped with a grin, chuckling when Xiaodan raised her fist at him mock threateningly.

* * *

"Nice puddle." Sokka grumbled, looking at the large waterfall and river they had landed by while Aang and Katara looked at it with ecstatic expressions and Xiaodan just looked amused.

Appa suddenly flew down and belly flopped into the river, creating a huge splash that drenched Momo and nearly knocked him off the rock he was perched on. The lemur chittered in annoyance and shook himself rapidly to dry off, Appa rolling over onto his back and floating happily.

"Yeah!" Aang cheered with a grin, having already stripped down to his underwear and ran towards the water, "Don't start without me, boy!"

"Remember the reason we're here." Katara stated drily from behind the boy.

"Oh right." Aang grinned sheepishly at the dark-haired girl and pulled his pants back up, "Time to practice Waterbending."

"Great..." Sokka drawled sarcastically, "So what am I supposed to do?"

"You could…clean the gunk out of Appa's toes!" Aang suggested with a slight smile as he held a branch with a bushel of leaves on the end.

Sokka crossed his arms with a frown, "So, while you guys are playing in the water, I'm supposed to be hard at work picking mud out of a giant bison's feet."

"Mud and bugs." Aang said with a smile, still holding out the branch.

"Okay." Sokka said with a shrug, grabbing the branch and walking over to Appa, who's still floating on his back in the water.

"What are you going to do, Xia?" Katara asked as she turned to Xiaodan, who had watched the whole scene with an amused smile on her lips.

"I'd like to watch you and Aang Waterbend if you don't mind."

"Sure!" Aang agreed enthusiastically with a nod as he beamed up at his older sister, more than happy to let her watch him learn to bend, just like she used to back at the Southern Air Temple when they were younger.

Xiaodan laughed and nodded her head in appreciation then found a rock to sit on.

* * *

Zuko grunted as he practiced his Firebending with one of his crew members, launching fire blast after fire blast at the man until he and the crew member were thrown to one side as the ship turned.

"Someone's changing our course." Zuko growled as he glared up at the navigation room.

* * *

What is the meaning of this mutiny?!" Zuko demanded from the captain as he charged into the navigational room, "No one told you to change course!"

"Actually, someone did." Iroh stated calmly from where he was playing Pai Sho with one of the crew members while the others stood behind them, "I assure you, it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko."

Iroh scratched his beard as he looked at the Pai Sho table in front of him.

"Is it something to do with the Avatar?" The banished prince asked hopefully as he took a step forward.

"Even more urgent. It seems I—" Iroh sighed and rubbed his forehead in distress,"—I have lost my lotus tile."

Iroh looked up at his nephew then back to the table, moving a piece forward across the Pai Sho board.

"Lotus tile?"

"For my Pai Sho game." Iroh clarified at his nephew's confused question as he moved another piece across the board, "Most people think the lotus insignificant but it is essential for the unusual strategy that I employ."

"You've changed our course for a stupid lotus tile?!" Zuko demanded in disbelief as he looked at his uncle in exasperation.

"See, you, like most people, underestimate its value." Iroh stated after flicking his fingers in Zuko's direction then looked at his nephew imploringly, "Just give me ten minutes to check the merchants at this port of call."

Iroh's face and tone became excited as he continued, "Hopefully, they will have the lotus tile in stock and I can get on with my life."

Zuko closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose, then tilted his head back and fire spilling from his mouth and at the ceiling, smoking filling the room.

"I'm lucky to have such an understanding nephew." Iroh said with a close-eyed smile on his face.

* * *

"Yeah, don't get too happy." Sokka stated as he stood on Appa's stomach and brushed the branch between the bison's toes, "You've got to do _me_ next."

Appa merely moaned happily as he floated on around the river and wiggled his other toes.

Xiaodan giggled quietly at the scene then turned her attention back to where Katara was starting to teach Aang how to Waterbend.

"This is a pretty basic move, but it still took me months to perfect. So don't get frustrated if you don't get it right away." Katara stated as she moved into her stance and began moving her hands back and forth, creating small waves in the water, "Just push and pull the water list this. The key is getting the wrist movement right."

"Like this?" Aang asked as he stood and mimicked Katara's hand movements, but nothing happened.

"That's almost right." Katara praised kindly, "If you keep practicing I'm sure eventually—"

"Hey, I'm bending already!" Aang exclaimed excitedly, accidently cutting Katara of mid-sentence as he created bigger waves than the ones Katara made on his first try.

Xiaodan couldn't help but giggle at Katara's stunned expression. The white-haired girl remembered feeling like that when Aang surpassed her in skill when they were first learning how to Airbend.

"Wow, I can't believe you got that so quickly." Katara stated in surprise, "It took me two months to learn that move."

Aang shrugged and smiled over at Katara, "Well, you had to figure it out all on your own. I'm lucky enough to have a great teacher."

Katara smiled at his praise, "Thanks."

"So, what's next?" Aang asked eagerly and Katara smiled again.

"This is a more difficult move. I call it streaming the water." She said and moved her hands, a stream of water from the river rising into the air as Katara began moving it around, "It's harder than it looks, so don't be disappointed if—"

Katara paused and frowned, dropping her own stream of water when she noticed Aang already controlling a stream of water as he moved it around and above his body then neatly coiled it back into the river. Xiaodan applauded from her spot on a rock, smiling at Aang encouragingly when he glanced over at her.

"Nice work." She complimented, a bit grudgingly then frowned, "Though the over-the-head flare was unnecessary."

"Sorry." Aang apologized then looked at Katara excitedly, "Well, don't stop now! Keep 'em coming!"

"Well, I kind of know this one other move, but it's pretty hard." Katara said, shifting a little bit away from Aang, "I haven't even totally figured it out yet. The idea is to create a big, powerful wave."

Aang and Xiaodan watched as the dark-haired girl moved her hands up, shaking slightly from effort as a big mass of water started to rise out of the river, but it popped before it could form into anything substantial.

"So, like this?" Aang asked as he copied her movement, creating a massive way that towers over their heads.

"Whoa…" Xiaodan muttered and tilted her head back in surprise while Sokka, who was still cleaning between Appa's toes turned around and stared up at the crashing towards him and Appa in fear.

"Uh, Aang?" He called out a moment before the wave crashed into him and threw him off of Appa and into the water, his head slowly appearing above the water with an annoyed expression on his face.

Xiaodan started laughing loudly, clutching her sides as she fell off the side of the rock she was sitting on.

Aang smiled happily and turned towards Katara, "Looks like I got the hang of that move! What else you got?"

"That's enough practice for today." Katara snapped slightly, turning away from Aang with an irritated expression on her face.

"Yeah, I'll say." Sokka called out from the water with a peeved look, "You just 'practiced' out supplies down the river."

Xiaodan stopped laughing and looked down the river, watching as their bags floated away.

"Uh, sorry." Aang apologized guiltily then gave a slightly worried smile, "I'm sure we can find somewhere to replace all this stuff."

"My life was hard enough when you were just an Airbender." Sokka grumbled then sank back into the water, much to Xiaodan's amusement.

* * *

Xiaodan looked around the port's market place warily, taking in the rather intimidating people surrounding the stalls. Sokka and Katara looked just as wary as the white-haired girl but Aang was looking around in wonderment, his gray eyes wide and a huge smile on his face.

* * *

"We've got exactly three copper pieces left from the money that King Bumi gave us." Sokka stated as he walked back from the alleyway he had disappeared into with a back slung over his shoulder, "Let's spend it wisely."

"Uh, make that two copper pieces, Sokka." Aang said sheepishly as he reached behind his back, "I couldn't say no to this whistle!"

Xiaodan quirked an eyebrow at the white, bison shaped whistle in her brother's hands before watching him curiously as he took a deep breath and blew into the whistle, barely making a sound.

"It doesn't even work." Sokka stated after pulling his fingers from his ears, having expected a loud noise and Aang stopped blowing on the whistle when Momo squawked at him in irritation, "See? Even Momo thinks it's a piece of junk."

"No offense, Aang, but I'll hold the money from now on." Katara stated, holding her hand out and Aang handed her the copper pieces with a pout.

Xiaodan giggled slightly and rubbed her brother's head then the group began walking around the market some more.

* * *

"Earth Nation! Fire Nation! Water Nation! So long as bargains are your inclination, you're welcome here!" A man with brown hair dressed in green and standing in front of a ship, called out to the passing people, "Don't be shy, come on by!"

Sokka, Katara, Xiaodan, and Aang walked past the man but he ran up them, "Oh! You there, I can see from your clothing that you're world-traveling types. Perhaps I can interest you in some exotic curios?"

Aang walked back to the man with a grin, "Sure! What are curios?"

"I'm not entirely sure…" The man muttered then grinned and steered Aang towards the docked ship behind him, "But we got 'em!"

Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka exchanged exasperatedly looked but quickly followed after Aang and the man to the ship.

* * *

Xiaodan looked around the inside of the ship curiously for a moment then folded her arms over chest and leaned against a table, keeping an eye on the other three as they looked around.

Aang grinned and leaned down to look closely at an object on a shelf before becoming confused, "Huh?"

Katara stared eerily at an ornate monkey statue with red gems for eyes on another shelf before shaking her head and walking away from it. Xiaodan watched her for a moment then looked back at Aang as he walked beside another shelf, pausing to look at another object.

"I've never seen such a fine specimen of lemur." A man suddenly spoke up, startling the four as he walked into the light with a colorful reptile-bird perched on his shoulder, "That beast would fetch me a hefty sum if you'd be interested in bartering."

Aang grabbed Momo from his shoulder and held him protectively to his chest, "Momo's not for sale."

Xiaodan moved forward, placing her hand on Aang's shoulder and scowled at the seedy looking man. She didn't like the way he was looking at her brother's pet.

Meanwhile, Katara had wondered further into the ship and paused when she spotted a shelf where a couple of scrolls were kept, grabbing one that had the Waterbending symbol on it. The dark-haired girl opened the scroll and gasped quietly in surprise when she saw diagrams and writings for Waterbending.

"Look at this, Aang! It's Waterbending scroll!" She called over excitedly with a smile as Aang walked over and peered over her shoulder, "Check out these crazy moves!"

Aang turned to look at the man excitedly, "Where did you get a Waterbending scroll?"

The man slammed his hand on the scroll and snatched it from the table, rolling it back up, "Let's just say I got it up North, at a most reasonable price, free."

Xiaodan's eyebrows rose and she narrowed her eyes at the man as he placed the scroll back on the shelf.

"Wait a minute… Sea loving traders, with suspiciously acquired merchandise," Sokka spoke, his eyebrows raising his voice rose, "And pet reptile birds?"

The young man turned around to face the hawker from the street, nearly spitting in his face, "You guys are pirates!"

The man put his arms around Sokka's shoulders, "We prefer to think of ourselves as, high risk traders."

Xiaodan's eyes narrowed and she walked over to Sokka and the man quickly, plucking the pirate's arm from Sokka's shoulder.

"I'm sure you do…" She drawled sarcastically then tugged Sokka away from the smarmy pirate and over to where Katara and Aang were leaning against a counter with the captain standing behind it.

"So, how much for the, uh, _traded_, scroll?" Katara asked somewhat sarcastically after looking at the two copper pieces in her hand.

"I've already got a buyer, a nobleman in the Earth Kingdom." The captain said coolly then his voice turned less serious as he looked down at the two, "Unless of course, you kids have two hundred gold pieces on you right now."

Aang turned and whispered quietly to Katara, "I know how deal with these guys, Katara. Pirates love to haggle."

Katara quirked an eyebrow but placed their last two coins into the bald boy's hand.

"Watch and learn." Aang said with a smirk as he sauntered over to the counter then leaned against it and began talking in a pirate-like voice, "Let's say to the price of, one copper piece!"

Aang smiled and dramatically presented a single copper piece, causing the captain to laugh hysterically.

"The price is two hundred gold pieces. I don't haggle on items this rare."

Aang smirked confidently and continued talking like a pirate, "Okay, two copper pieces!"

"It's not amusing the second time, boy!" The pirate captain snarled, leaning forward slightly to glare at the Aang.

Katara stepped forward and touched Aang's shoulder, whispering quietly, "Aang, can we get out of here? I feel like we're getting weird looks?"

Aang snatched his staff up from where it was leaning against the counter and still talking like a pirate said, "Aye, we be casting off now."

Xiaodan sighed and grabbed the boy by the arm, dragging him from the ship after Sokka and Katara.

* * *

"What was that all about, Katara?" Aang asked the dark-haired girl curiously as they walked down the ramp and back onto the street with Xiaodan walking behind him.

"Yeah, I was just starting to browse through their boomerang collection." Sokka complained slightly.

Xiaodan watched as Katara shrugged and hugged her arms to her chest, her expression looking slightly worried.

"I'll just feel a lot better once we get away from here?"

The white-haired girl looked at the young girl curiously but didn't comment as the four continued down the street and away from the pirate ship.

"Hey you!" The hawker from before suddenly shouted at them from the front of the ship, "Get back here!"

Aang smirked as he turned around, "Well, well, look who's come to their senses. Told you the haggling would pay off."

Xiaodan quirked an eyebrow when she saw Katara's expression turn fearful and she began to back away slightly. The white-haired girl looked back at the pirate ship and her eyes widened when she saw the armed pirates jump out of the ship and rush towards them.

"I don't think these pirates are here to trade with us!" Katara cried out as she, Sokka, Aang and Xiaodan turn around and run away, the pirates chasing after them.

The four ran through the market, turning a corner sharply and Katara froze a puddle behind them, causing one of the pirates to slip. Sokka and Katara ran down an alleyway, bumping into the cabbage merchant while Aang jumped through the small space between the top of the cart and the cabbage and Xiaodan merely flipped over the cart. Xiaodan and Aang each sent a blast of wind at the cart, throwing it into the pirates that were right behind them.

"My cabbages!" Xiaodan heard the merchant shriek, "This place is worse than Omashu!"

* * *

Xiaodan yelped slightly as another group of pirates leapt out in front of them and began chasing them back down the street the four had just come from.

"I hope that lemur of yours has nine lives!" One of the pirates shouted as they chased the four teens around a corner and into a dead end.

Xiaodan gripped her staff tightly as she and her friends whirled around to face the pirates cornering them.

"Now, who gets to taste the steel of my blade first?" The hawker from before asked sinisterly as he twirled his knifes around expertly.

"No thanks!" Aang stated and spun, hurling a blast of air at the pirates that send them backwards, then he and Xiaodan snap their gliders open and run towards them.

"Grab on tight!" Xiaodan shouted over her shoulder as she ran.

"I thought we were running _away _from the pirates, you guys!" Katara yelled but jumped onto Aang's glider as Sokka leapt onto Xiaodan's they lifted into the air.

"Just hang on!" Aang called out as he and Xiaodan flew over the pirates' heads and away from the port, back to where they had made their camp.

* * *

"I used to kinda look up to pirates." Aang commented as he snapped his gilder shut after they had landed back at their camp and sat on the ground, leaning against a rock, "But those guys are terrible."

Xiaodan grunted in agreement and snapped her glider shut, flopping onto her back on the ground and tossed her arm over her eyes with a slight groan.

"I know. That's why I took…" Katara said, her mischievous tone causing Xiaodan, Aang and Sokka to look at her curiously then in shock when she held out the Waterbending scroll, "This."

"No way!" Aang gaped in surprised and lurched to his feet.

"Isn't it great?" Katara asked excitedly, stepping back slightly when Sokka appeared in front of her.

"No wonder they were trying to hack us up!" Sokka yelled angrily," You stole their Waterbending scroll."

"I prefer to think of it as high risk trading." The dark-haired girl joked, causing Aang to laugh.

"Good one, Katara."

Xiaodan groaned and flopped back onto the ground, "This is so not good."

"Sokka, Xia, where do you think _they _got it?" Katara asked rhetorically as she looked between the two older teens, "They stole it from a Waterbender!"

"It doesn't matter." Sokka snapped back seriously, "You put all of our lives in danger just so you could learn some stupid, fancy splashes!"

"These are _real_ Waterbending forms." Katara stated in an attempt to justify her actions, "You know how crucial it is for Aang to learn Waterbending!"

"Whatever." Sokka muttered, and shook his head, walking away.

"Well, what's done is done." Aang said calmly, "We have it, we might as well learn from it."

Xiaodan sighed again and sat up, crossing her legs and leaning against the bottom of her staff as she watched Katara and Aang. She had a bad feeling that Katara's actions were going to come around and bite them in the butt.

* * *

"I've checked all the shops on this pier." Iroh said exasperatedly to his nephew, "Not a lotus tile in the entire marketplace!"

"It's good to know this trip was a complete waste of time _for everyone_!" Zuko snapped angrily at his uncle, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"Quite the contrary." Iroh commented, unaffected by his nephew's temper, "I always say, the only thing better than finding something you are looking for is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!"

Zuko's eye twitched slightly as he watched the crew members walk past him and his uncle, carrying all of Iroh's many purchases.

"You bought a tsungi horn?" The banished prince asked in bafflement as he looked at his uncle.

"For music night on the ship." Iroh stated with a happy smile before cupping his chin as he began to walk around the market again with Zuko following reluctantly, "Now if we only have some woodwinds."

"Oh, this place looks promising!" Iroh stated excited as he pointed to the ship as he hurried on board, Zuko trailing behind him.

* * *

"Oh, that is handsome!" Iroh exclaimed as he looked at the bejeweled monkey statue, "Wouldn't it look magnificent in the galley?"

The pirate captain's lieutenant stood in front of the captain near the back of the ship, "We lost the Water Tribe girl and the little bald monk she was traveling with."

Zuko turned around when he heard the pirate and stepped forward, "This monk, did he have an arrow on his head."

No one noticed the way Iroh made a similar facial expression the monkey's when he picked it up.

* * *

"I just want to try this one move first and then it's all yours." Katara said, then handed the open scroll to Aang, "Here, hold it open for me. The single water whip. Looks doable."

Xiaodan, Aang, and Sokka watched as Katara attempted the move but only ended up hitting herself in the forehead, leaving a red mark.

"Ow!"

Sokka started laughing hysterically at her and Xiaodan giggled behind her hand, ducking her head when Katara turned to glare at the two of them.

"What's so funny?" The dark-haired girl demanded.

"I'm sorry, but you deserved that." Sokka stated mirthfully then turned to Aang, "You've been duped. She's only interested in teaching herself."

"Aang will get his turn once I figure out the water whip!" Katara snapped angrily then attempted the move again, only this time she smacked Momo's backside, causing him to screech angrily at her, "Ugh! Why can't I get this stupid move?!"

"You'll get it." Aang said reassuringly as he put the scroll on the tree stump and walked closer to the river, not noticing the glare Katara is giving him, "You just got to shift your weight through the stances."

Aang mimicked the moves on the Waterbending scroll and created the water whip on his first try.

"There, see?" Aang said with a smile, "The key to bending is—"

"Will you please shut your air hole?!" Katara screamed angrily as she loomed over Aang, "Believe it or not your infinite wisdom gest s little old sometimes. Why don't we just throw the scroll away since you're so naturally gifted!"

"Hey!" Xiaodan barked and jumped to her feet, her orange eyes flashing dangerously as Sokka glared at his sister.

"What?!" The dark-haired girl demanded then turned to look at Aang, who was staring at her with tears in his eyes, making Katara instantly feel guilty, "Oh my gosh, Aang, I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me. But you know what, it won't happen again."

"It better not." Xiaodan muttered as she sat back down on the ground, watching through narrowed eyes as Katara picked up the scroll and handed it to Aang.

"Here, this is yours." Katara said softly as she put the scroll in Aang's hands, "I don't want to have anything to with it anymore."

"It's okay, Katara." Aang said forgivingly with a smile.

"What about Momo?" Sokka asked with a slight grin as he gestured to the lemur rubbing his backside, "He's the real victim here."

Xiaodan snorted quietly and covered her mouth to muffle her giggles at his words.

"I'm sorry Momo." Katara apologized, kneeling behind the lemur and rubbing his ears.

"And what about me?" Sokka asked gesturing to himself, "There was that time you—"

"No more apologies!" Katara snapped at her brother, giving him a dark look while Xiaodan continued to laugh off to the side.

* * *

"Shouldn't we stop to search the woods?" The pirate captain asked the young prince he was standing beside on the prince's boat.

"We don't need to stop." Zuko stated firmly, "They stole a Waterbending scroll, right?"

"Mm-hm." The captain hummed in confirmation, looking at the scarred prince.

"Then they'll be on the water." Zuko said confidently as he looked at the sun setting before them as the captain comes to stand beside him.

* * *

Katara looked around the camp quietly as she checked to see if Sokka, Aang, and Xiaodan were asleep. Breathing quietly in relief, the dark-haired girl quietly slipped from her sleeping bag and walked over to bag where the Waterbending scroll was, carefully pulling it out. Katara then silently backed away from the camp until she thought she was far enough way, then she turned only to come face-to-face with Momo, who chattered at her.

"Shh, Momo! Go back to sleep!" Katara whispered firmly to the chattering lemur as she walked past, "Shh!"

Xiaodan eyes popped open then she rolled to her feet noiselessly and stared in the direction Katara had gone in.

"Silly girl." The white-haired girl murmured to herself as she quickly followed the girl to the river.

* * *

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Shoot!" Katara grumbled when the water didn't do what she wanted it too, "Come on water, work with me here! Okay, what if I just, ow! Stupid scroll!"

Xiaodan giggled quietly, causing Katara to whirl around and stare at her with wide eyes.

"Xia!"

"Having trouble sleeping, Katara?" The older girl teased lightly as she picked up the scroll then hopped up onto the rock it had been resting on, an easy-going smile on her lips.

"Uh..."

* * *

"Ow! Stupid scroll!"

Zuko tensed when he heard the Water Tribe girl's voice and he and the pirate captain shared a knowing look.

* * *

"You need to relax." Xiaodan advised as she sat on the rock with the Waterbending scroll in her lap, after assuring Katara she wouldn't tell the boys what happened,"You're too tense and it's affecting your ability to bend."

Katara nodded and brought up another stream of water, muttering to herself, "Okay Katara, relax and shift your weight through the stances."

A sudden noise caused Xiaodan to lift her head and turn to look at the river warily

"Did you hear that?" She asked just as Katara dropped the water again then groaned in aggravation.

The sudden sound of metal scraping against sand caught both girls' attention and they moved towards the bushes to check what the noise was.

Katara and Xiaodan gasped quietly upon seeing the small metal ship on the river bank and they turned to run away only to run straight into the arms of a large pirate.

"No! Let go of us!" Xiaodan snapped angrily then kicked her foot up over her shoulder, hitting the pirate in the face with a blast of air causing him to let both her and Katara go.

The two girls ran forward only for Xiaodan to run right into the banished prince himself and he grabbed her wrists as Katara ran into Xiaodan's back and was grabbed from behind by another pirate.

"I'll save you from the pirates." Zuko sneered down at the white-haired girl as she glared furiously up at him.

* * *

"Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother." Zuko stated persuasively from in front of where he had Katara and Xiaodan tied to a tree.

"Go jump in the river!" Katara snapped back angrily as she glared at him before looking away.

He had been questioning the two girls since he had captured them over an hour ago. He had tried interrogating Xiaodan first but the white-haired girl had spat in his face then kicked him in the ribs so he had her gagged and her ankles tied to the base of the tree. Now he was questioning Katara.

"Try to understand." Zuko said after a moment of thought as he approached the bound girls, though he was talking only to Katara as he gave the white-haired girl a somewhat wide berth, "I need to capture him to restore something I've lost, my honor."

Zuko came around to her side and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost."

Xiaodan's eyes widened when she saw Zuko hold up Katara's mother's necklace to the Water Tribe girl's neck briefly, the necklace she had lost when they had freed the Earthbenders from the Fire Nation prison rig.

"My mother's necklace!" Katara exclaimed, looking down at the necklace as Zuko dangled it in front of her for a moment then walked back over to his soldiers with a smirk.

"How did you get that?!" Katara demanded, straining slightly against the bonds around her and Xiaodan.

"I didn't steal it if that's what you're wondering." Zuko taunted as he turned to face the captured girls, "_Tell me_ where he is."

"No!" Katara shouted defiantly while Xiaodan growled in agreement around the gag in her mouth.

The pirate captain suddenly stepped forward, "Enough of this necklace garbage! You promised a scroll!"

"I wonder how much this is worth…" Zuko said as he took the Waterbending scroll from behind his back and held it over the fire dancing in his other hand, smirking when the pirates gasped in fear, "A lot, apparently. Now you help me find what I want, you'll get this back and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and meet back here."

"Fine." The pirate captain growled as he turned around, scowling darkly as he and his men began doing as the banished prince ordered.

Xiaodan glared darkly at the smug prince as he watched the pirates leave, wishing she could make his head explode with her eyes.

* * *

Sokka rolled over in his sleeping back and yawned as he began to wake up.

"Huh?" He muttered when he noticed that Katara's sleeping bag was empty, "Where did she go?"

The Water Tribe boy crawled out of his sleeping bag and reached into the satchel he had bought at the market, digging inside for the Waterbending scroll only to come up empty handed.

"I don't believe it." He muttered in irritation as Aang sat up with a yawn a foot or so away from him.

"What's wrong?" Aang asked, rubbing his eyes tiredly then frowned when he noticed Xiaodan wasn't sleeping on her pile of leaves, "Where's Xia?"

"She took the scroll!" Sokka stated exasperatedly as he dumped out the bag, "She's obsessed with that thing. It's just a matter of time before she gets us all in deep—AH!"

Sokka cut himself off with a yell as rope wrapped around his wrists and yanked him onto his stomach. Sokka quickly rolled away as the pirate in front of him attacked him again then grabbed to his club as he jumped to his feet and charged the pirate with a battle cry.

Aang got into an Airbending stance then glanced behind him and spun around when he saw another pirate with a net attached to the end of two crossbows standing amidst the trees. The pirate fired the net and Aang tried to stop is using a blast of air but the air merely passed through and landed on Aang, capturing him. The captured boy is rolled to another pirate who grabbed him and began dragging him away, while another knocked Sokka off his feet then ran after the pirate dragging Aang.

"Oh, what?" Sokka shouted as he got to his feet, "I'm not good enough to kidnap? AH!"

Sokka yelled as the net was shot at him and he was dragged in the same direction Aang had been taken in.

* * *

"Nice work." Zuko praised as he stood in front of where the pirates were gathered with the Avatar and the Water Tribe boy tied up in front of them.

Xiaodan gave a muffled yell when she saw her little brother and began struggling against the rope keeping her tied to the tree with Katara.

"Aang, this is all _my _fault." Katara said sadly as she looked at Aang.

"No Katara, it isn't." Aang stated with a slight smile of reassurance.

"Yeah," Iroh countered with a slight nod of his head, "It kind of is."

Zuko took a few steps towards the pirate captain, the Waterbending scroll in hand, "Give me the boy."

"_You _give _us _the scroll." The pirate captain retorted without moving.

Sokka looked up at the pirate captain in surprise, "You're really gonna hand over the _Avatar_ for a stupid piece of parchment?"

"Don't listen to him," Zuko ordered, glaring at the Sokka heatedly, "he's trying to turn us against each other!"

The pirate captain ignored Zuko and looked down at Aang, but addressed Sokka, "You're friend is the Avatar?"

"Sure is," Sokka confirmed with a sly grin, "And I'll bet he'll fetch you a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll."

"Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!" Zuko snarled angrily as he pointed threateningly at Sokka.

"Yeah, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth." Aang whispered at his friend.

Sokka shrugged his shoulders, "I'm just sayin' it's bad business sense. Just imagine how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life."

Xiaodan renewed her struggles against her binds as she glared at Sokka, noticing the greedy look that appeared on the pirate captain's face as he looked down at Aang.

"Keep the scroll," The pirate captain sneered at Zuko, "We can buy a hundred with the reward we'll get for the kid."

Zuko's eyes narrowed as he watched the pirates turn their back on him, "You'll regret breaking a deal with me."

Zuko and two of his soldiers send a blast of fire at the pirates causing them to jump back while the hawker ran out and threw a smoke bomb, jumping onto the cloud as the fight between Zuko's men and the pirates ensued.

Sokka and Aang began to struggle with their ropes when three soldiers began running towards them only to be stopped when four pirates jumped in front of them and surrounded Aang and Sokka, throwing a smoke bomb and covering the area with the gray haze.

Meanwhile, Momo climbed down the tree Katara and Xiaodan were tied too and hurriedly chewed through the rope binding Katara's wrists.

"Thanks, Momo. Get Xia free for me." Katara said as she raced towards the fight, "I owe you a bushel of apples."

Momo chattered happily and began chewing on the rope keeping Xiaodan tied to the tree, freeing the girl moments later.

"Thanks, Momo." Xiaodan stated gratefully as she wrenched the gag from her mouth and began working on the knots keeping her legs bound to the tree, "I owe you _two _bushels of apples. Now go help the others!"

* * *

Aang coughed as he looked around the smoke, yelping quietly as he dodged a knife that cut through his ropes at the same time. Then he dodged a spear that with another yelp and began to quickly try and find his way out of the smoke.

* * *

Zuko stumbled out of the smoke cloud and hid the Waterbending scroll behind his back, glancing behind him and whirling around just in time to dodge the pirate captain's sword. The young prince scowled and took a Firebending stance while the captain prepared to attack with his sword. The two began to fight, Zuko sending out blasts of fire while the captain tried to slice him with his sword.

The banished prince growled when he felt the scroll get yanked away by the pirate with the rope only for the Avatar's lemur to snatch it out of the air, catching the attention of the pirate captain's reptile-bird.

Momo gave a screech as the reptile-bird dove into him and caused him to lose his grip on the scroll which went tumbling into the smoke cloud before.

* * *

"Aang, are you there?" Sokka shouted as her crawled on the ground, jerking back when a blade landed in front of him before he used it to saw through his binds.

"I'm over here!" Aang shouted back, "Follow my voice!"

"Where?" Sokka called back, "I can't find you!"

"I'm right here!" Aang yelled then scowled and Airbended the dust away, revealing the pirates surrounding him and he immediately Airbended the smoke and dust back around him, "Never mind, I'll find you!"

Sokka crawled out of the smoke cloud on his hands and knees, Aang vaulting over him a moment later in a full sprint.

"Run!" the young Airbender shouted over his shoulder as Sokka jumped to his feet and ran after Aang.

* * *

"Katara, you're okay!" Aang shouted happily as he and Sokka found her trying to push the pirate ship back into the water.

"Help me get this boat back in the water so we can get outta here." Katara ordered briskly and the two boys joined her in trying to push the boat, but they aren't able too.

"We'd need a team of rhinos to budge this ship." Sokka stated as the three stepped back.

"A team of rhinos," Aang started as a he looked over at Katara, "Or two Waterbenders."

Katara smiled at him and the two moved so they were standing across from each other, then they began to push and pull the water until the boat rose up.

"Everybody in!" Katara commanded quickly only to pause when she noticed they were one person short, "Where's Xia?"

Aang jerked as if he'd been electrocuted and spun around when Katara's words processed through his mind.

"XIA!"

Katara grabbed Aang's arm and pulled him after her and Sokka onto the ship.

"Aang, we have to go!" She shouted, "Xia will be fine, I'm sure she's gone to get Appa!"

* * *

"Are you so busy fighting you cannot see your own ship has set sail?" Iroh demanded after shoving Zuko and the pirate captain apart.

"We have no time for your proverbs, Uncle!" Zuko snapped as he turned to his uncle in annoyance.

"It's no proverb." Iroh stated drily as he pointed towards the pirates' ship that was sailing away.

"Bleeding hog monkeys!" The pirate captain cursed and ran after the ship.

Zuko pointed and laughed at the captain only for his laughter to dissipate when he saw the pirates had hijacked his own boat, the pirates taunting him as they sailed after the Avatar and his friends.

"Hey! That's _my _boat!" Zuko shouted and began chasing the stolen boat.

"Maybe it should be a proverb…" Iroh mused as he watched the boats sail downstream while his nephew raced after his stole boat.

"C'mon, Uncle!" Zuko shouted and Iroh sighed as he hurried after his nephew.

* * *

Xiaodan raced through the trees towards the area she and her friends had made camp before Katara and she had gotten kidnapped, hoping to get to Appa and fly him to her friends. She had seen them hijack the pirates' ship but had been too far away to join, so she had decided to get Appa instead.

White hair whipping behind her as she ducked beneath branches and jumped over roots, Xiaodan ran towards the camp then cried out in pain when a she felt a sudden blast of heat against her back which sent her flying to the forest floor below in a crumpled heap.

Groaning, Xiaodan pushed herself to her knees and looked up with wide eyes as she was surrounded by the familiar masked Firebenders, each of them poised to blast her with another fireball. The white-haired girl moved to climb to her feet when suddenly her vision went dark and she collapsed to the ground again, having been stuck in the back of the head by the Firebender behind her.

* * *

"Sokka, can't you make this thing go any faster?" Aang asked worriedly as he looked at the pirate'sgaining on him and their friends.

"I don't know how." Sokka called back as he tried to steer, "This thing wasn't made by the Water Tribe."

Suddenly the pirates pulled Zuko's boat even with the ship and jumped aboard but are quickly swept away by Aang Waterbending a large wave onto the boat. One of the pirate's managed to stay on and as he got to his feet, Katara pursed her lips in determination and performed a perfect water whip, throwing the last pirate off the side of the ship.

"Hey, you did the water whip!" Aang congratulated her happily.

"I couldn't have done it without your help." Katara stated and she smiled up at the bald boy.

"Would you two quit congratulating each other and help me out?" Sokka demanded from where he was being pinned by two pirates.

Meanwhile Momo is once again being chased by the reptile-bird and the lemur quickly began to scale the top mast, leaping and flying around it before entangling the reptile-bird in the flag.

"Ah!" Sokka yelled as one of the pirate's launched him at the sail before Aang appeared behind them both and Airbended them off the ship and into the water.

Aang quickly leapt down to Sokka's side and helped him just as Katara gave a terrified shout.

"Aang, look!"

Aang looked up and blanched slightly when he saw that the ship was heading towards a huge waterfall.

"Oh no…" He muttered then spun around when he heard the sound of knife leaving its sheath, coming face-to-face with the hawker who was holding his knife threateningly at Aang.

Aang took a step back then whipped out the bison whistle and blows on it. While the pirate stood there staring at Aang in confusion, Sokka came up behind him and pushed him off of the ship.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Sokka demanded, "This is no time for flute practice!"

Aang ignored him as he and Katara stared in horror at the rapidly approaching waterfall.

"We can stop the boat!" Katara shouted suddenly and turned to Aang, "Aang, together, push and pull the water!"

The two stand with their backs to each other at the front of the boat as they began to push and pull the water, creating a small whirlpool that stopped the ship from going over the waterfall.

"It's working, it's slowing down!" Katara shouted happily, "We're doing it!"

"But we have another problem." Sokka yelled as Zuko's boat with the pirates in it sailed straight toward them.

The boat rammed into the ship, sending the three tumbling towards the edge of the ship.

"Jump!" Aang shouted, grabbing onto one of Sokka's and Katara's hands as they leapt off the boat and over the waterfall with a simultaneous scream. Suddenly Appa appeared and the three landed on his back as the ship and boat fell to the bottom of the waterfall with a resounding crash.

"I knew a bison whistle would come in handy. Thanks, Appa." Aang stated with a grin that quickly fell when he realized that Xiaodan was not sitting on Appa's head, holding the reins like he had hoped.

Suddenly he began to panic and he whirled around to face Katara and Sokka with stricken eyes.

"Xia's not here!"

The Water Tribe siblings' eyes went wide and the three stared at each other with terrified eyes as the possible reasons for Xiaodan not being on Appa.

* * *

"My boat!" Zuko shouted in dismay as he and his uncle arrived at the edge of the falls.

Iroh bent over and panted with his hands on his knees then straightened after catching his breath, slipping his hands into the large sleeves of his robe. He blinked in surprise before starting to chuckle lowly.

"Prince Zuko, you're really going to get a kick out of this." Iroh stated as he chuckled then pulled his missing lotus tile out of his sleeve and showed it to his nephew, "The lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!"

Growling, Zuko snatched the Pai Sho piece from his uncle's hand and tossed it over the waterfall. Iroh frowned and looked over the edge forlornly before straightening when three of Zuko's men appeared.

"Prince Zuko," The Firebender in the lead stated, "We have news."

"What?" Zuko snarled as he angrily whipped around to face the three Firebenders.

The Firebender moved out of the way, revealing the other two Firebenders behind him and a familiar white-haired girl clutched between them, unconscious.

"You…"

Zuko looked down at the unconscious girl the two soldiers were holding up and a slow smirk appeared on his face.

* * *

"Aang," Katara whispered as she moved closer to the grief-stricken boy sitting atop Appa's head, "Aang, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. If I hadn't been jealous of how good at Waterbending you were, I would have never stolen that scroll and Xia would have never been captured with me."

Aang turned his head and gave the dark-haired girl a watery smile, the tears still running down his face.

"It's okay, Katara." He said with a surprising amount of determination as he looked forward again, "I have to believe that Xia is going to be alright and that she'll find her way to us. I mean, she knows we're going to North Pole after all."

Katara and Sokka exchanged a sad glance but the Waterbender couldn't find it in her to crush the young Airbender's hope, so placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a gently squeeze in a small attempt to comfort him.

* * *

Aang wiped the tears from his eyes again and stared out at the sky sadly as he thought about his sister. He knew Katara and Sokka doubted the possibility of ever seeing her again, especially if she was in that Fire Nation prince's hands, but he had to believe that she was okay and that she was going to find him. She always found him whenever he traveled with around the four nations with the other Nomads and he had to have faith that she would be able to find him this time. She had to, she just had to.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoo! Finally we'll get to see some Xia/Zuko interactions from this point on. Also from this point on, the story will somewhat focus on Zuko and Xia, so there will be some non-canon parts that I'll have to make up as I watch the episodes, but don't worry, I'll still include the parts with the GAang in the chapters because it wouldn't be an AtLA story without them. Anyhooties, I hope everyone liked this chapter!**

**PS—I've been planning out a lot of the chapters in my head and it's gotten so bad that now whenever I watch an episode I keep expecting Xiaodan to pop up. Is that crazy or what? XD **

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are amazing!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Nizuna Fujieda: **Thank you! I hope you like this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Thank you, I thought it would be a good idea to put those two chapters up at once so you guys wouldn't have to wait. I'm glad you like how I've written Xia into the story. She was always kind of meant to be a more supporting character in the beginning when she's traveling with the GAang then her role becomes more focused once she's with Zuko since she's no longer playing supportive sister but protective 'I'll-chew-you-up-and-spit-you-out' big sister since she's going to be trying to thwart Zuko every time he tries to capture Aang. But don't worry, the story is still going to be center somewhat around Aang at least up until the second book which seems to be mostly focused on Zuko. Anyhooties, long answer over, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Yuppers! I hope you liked this chapter!

**88dragon06: **Thank you, it surprisingly easy to add Xiaodan into those two episodes. Haha, just wait there will be a lot of yelling and hitting between those two in the upcoming chapters. XD


	11. Chapter 11: Jet

**AN: Whoo, eleventh chapter! This is when the story starts to divert from the show and we begin to follow Zuko and Xiaodan's journey as Prince Grumpy-pants (as my sister and I affectionately call him) chases after Aang. I'll be trying to stick as close to the episodes that feature Zuko as possible then I'll wing it when it comes to episodes that he isn't in. Various POVs still apply and this chapter takes place during Season 1 Episode 10: Jet. Enjoy my lovelies!**

**PS – Flash backs/thoughts will be** **in **_'Blah' _**now onto the story!**

* * *

'_A familiar light-hearted chuckle filled the air and frustrated orange eyes snapped open to look at the elderly monk sitting cross-legged on the ground, his eyes closed._

"_You must relax your mind, young one, if you wish to master the art of meditation." Monk Gyatso stated wisely with a small, serene smile on his aged face._

_A young Xiaodan huffed and crossed her arms in irritation, "This is stupid! What's even the _point_ of_ _mediating? How is it going to help me keep Aang safe? You should be teaching me how to _fight _instead."_

_Monk Gyatso opened his eyes and smiled at the young girl sitting in front of him a scowl on her childishly round face._

"_One must learn to master to become the master of their mind if they wish to master their bodies, child."_

_Xiaodan scrunched up her nose and looked at the only father-figure she had ever known in confusion._

"_That doesn't even make any sense, Gyatso!" She whined then sighed when the monk gave her a chiding look._

_The young white-haired girl took a deep breath through her mouth and shut her eyes, relaxing her body and emptied her mind as she exhaled from her nose…'_

Xiaodan inhaled deeply then exhaled slowly as she let the memory slip away and continued to meditate in the dark, metal room she had been locked in by the banished prince's guards.

She was unsure just how many days had passed since she had been knocked on conscious and captured, but she figured it had to be no more than four days since a guard had delivered a tray of food and a jug of water every twelve or so hours, one in the morning and the other at night. Eight meager meals had been brought in the time she had been in the metal prison cell and each tray was taken away untouched, Xiaodan refusing to eat the food in a show of defiance.

She had regained consciousness just as the guards had dragged on her onto the Fire Nation prince's warship and the crew began to castoff. Xiaodan began to struggle against her captors immediately, getting in a few good hits and even knocking one of the Firebenders over the side of the ship before someone had knocked her out again. The next time she awoke, she had been lying in the metal room she was currently meditating in with her back to the door, having remained in that position since she had awakened the second time. Surprisingly, the prince had not shown his scarred face during that time.

The sound of metal grinding against metal filled the room as the thick metal door was opened, but Xiaodan didn't turn around or even bother to open her eyes until she was suddenly wrenched to her feet and dragged from the room.

* * *

"Sir," The Firebender reported as he stood behind the young prince, "The prisoner is still refusing to eat."

Zuko frowned and gripped the railing in front of him tightly, his knuckles turning white as he glared out at the ocean and thought about to what to do with the white-haired girl he had captured.

"Perhaps she does not eat meat." Iroh mused as he stroked his beard thoughtfully from beside his nephew, "I once read something about the Air Nomads being vegetarians."

Zuko ignored his uncle and turned towards the soldier waiting for orders.

"Bring the prisoner to the deck," The banished prince commanded firmly, "It's time she answered some questions."

"I hope you know what you are doing, Prince Zuko." Iroh murmured to himself as he watched his nephew stalk into the commander tower apprehensively.

* * *

Xiaodan grunted quietly when the two masked Firebenders forced her to knees after dragging her from her prison cell in the belly of the ship and onto the top deck, her hands and ankles chained together. Orange eyes narrowed as the red pointed tips of the banished prince's boots appeared and Xiaodan slowly raised her head, molten orange eyes meeting harsh gold ones.

Xiaodan pursed her lips and mental promised to remain silent as she glowered at her captor.

"Where is the Avatar heading?" Zuko demanded as he glared down at the girl, his sharp eyes noticing the dark rings under her own.

The girl merely stared at him with a blank expression, her mouth pressed into a stubborn line then she glanced away in obvious disinterest. A scowl appeared on Zuko's face and with an irritated growl he grabbed her chin and jerked her head back around to face him.

"Tell me where the Avatar is headed, girl!" He hissed as he leaned closer to her face and pushed her head away, straightening and taking a Firebending stance, "Tell me where the Avatar is and I won't hurt you."

Xiaodan looked up at him, unafraid as fire began dancing around the fist pointed at her face as she remained silent and unwavering. Zuko growled wordlessly and pulled his fist back, preparing to launch a fire blast at the defiant girl.

"That's enough, Prince Zuko!" Iroh barked angrily as he grabbed his nephew's wrist, the first around it dissipating, "I will not let you travel down this path."

Iroh pushed the young prince back slightly then turned towards the bound girl kneeling on the deck. Her eyes were closed, her weakened body slumped forward slightly in apparent relief and weariness and Iroh sighed gently as he lifted her to her feet by her underarms.

"What are you doing, Uncle?!" Zuko demanded harshly as he watched his Uncle almost carry the girl toward the command tower, "She is still a prisoner!"

"No," Iroh denied as he helped the girl limp forward, "She is just a girl that needs food and rest."

Smoke steamed from Zuko's nose as his anger increased, watching his uncle and the white-haired girl disappear into the command center.

* * *

Aang sighed quietly as he stroked held Xiaodan's staff in his hands. It had been four days since the incident with the pirates and Prince Zuko and he missed his big sister terribly. Aang shook his head and put the staff back in Appa's saddle then hopped down to stand in front of Sokka and Katara.

"Where's Momo?" He asked curiously, looking down at the bored siblings.

Momo's sudden screech filled the forest they had camped in and Aang, Sokka, and Katara looked in the direction of the screech then jumped up and raced in that direction.

* * *

"Hang on, Momo!" Aang shouted when he saw his lemur trapped in a cage hanging high above their heads as he Airbended himself up to the top of the tree, jumping from trunk-to-trunk until he reached the branch where the cage mechanisms were.

Hanging upside down by his leg, Aang quickly flicked the switch on the mechanism then grabbed the rope and began lowering the cage to the ground where Sokka and Katara pulled it open, letting Momo jump free.

"Ugh!" Sokka grunted and smacked his forehead in frustration when Momo sat a few feet away and munched on one of the berries that had served as bait for the trap.

Aang smiled slightly as he landed behind the lemur then looked up at the two other trapped animals whimpering and crying out for help.

"Alright, you too." Aang stated as he jumped up into the air towards them using his Airbending.

"This is gonna take forever." Sokka complained, grabbing his boomerang from his back and throwing it up into the trees, cutting the traps' ropes just as Aang was inching his way upside-down to the traps on the tree branch.

"That worked." Aang muttered as he jumped back down to the ground just as the hog-monkeys raced into the trees.

Sokka kneeled beside the two traps, examining them while Katara and Aang stood beside him.

"These are Fire Nation traps." He stated as he looked up at the two young teens, "You can tell from the metalwork. We better pack up camp, and get moving."

* * *

"Uh uh!" Sokka said quickly as he ran up to Katara and Aang who were packing their supplies into Appa's saddle, "No flying this time."

"What? Why couldn't we fly?" Aang asked the older boy, him and Katara giving him a confused look.

Sokka snatched the sleeping back from the bald boy's hands and placed it on the ground as he explained, "Think about it. Somehow Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us. It's because they spot Appa, he's just too noticeable."

"What?" Katara questioned skeptically with her hands on her hips, neither sibling noticed the way Aang winced at the banished prince's name, "Appa's not too noticeable!"

"He's a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on his head!" Sokka stated as he condescendingly pointed at the sky bison, "It's kinda hard to miss him!"

Appa yawned widely and Aang patted his head from his spot sitting on the bison's head with a somewhat forced jovial expression on his face.

"Sokka's just jealous 'cause he doesn't have an arrow on his head."

"I know you all wanna fly, but my instincts tell me we should play it safe this time and walk." Sokka explained his reasons to Katara and Aang.

"Who made you the boss?" Katara demanded in amusement as she walked closer and smiled.

"I'm not the boss, I'm the leader." Sokka retorted, pointing at his chest with his thumb.

Katara scoffed in amusement, "You're the leader? But you're voice still cracks!"

"I'm the oldest and I'm a warrior," Sokka stated, his voice cracking before he deepened it, "So, I'm the leader!"

Katara giggled slightly then smiled up at Aang, "If anyone's the leader, it's Aang. I mean he _is _the Avatar."

"Are you kidding?" Sokka squawked, "He's just a goofy kid!"

The two siblings looked over at Aang who was hanging upside by his arms from Appa's right horn, his feet sticking in the air.

"He's right." Aang agreed with the older boy, "Xia would be a better leader than me."

The three winced slightly and their facial expressions became glum as they thought about their missing friend. Katara shook her head and crossed her arms, giving Sokka an irritated look as he shoulders his makeshift pack of supplies.

"Why do boys always think someone has to be a leader?" She asked drily before smirking at her brother, "I bet you wouldn't be so bossy if you kissed a girl."

"I've kissed a girl, you just haven't met her!" Sokka snapped defensively, shifting his gaze around nervously.

"Who?" Katara continued to taunt, "Gran-Gran? I've met Gran-Gran."

"No, besides Gran-Gran." Sokka retorted, throwing his arms in the air before lowering them back to his sides, "Look, my instincts tell me we have a better chance of slipping through on foot, and a leader has to trust his instincts."

Katara rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "Okay, we'll try it your way, oh wise leader."

"Who knows?" Aang said the make-shift pack on his back as he stepped up beside Katara with a slight grin, "Walking might be fun."

* * *

"Walking stinks!" Aang complained after blowing a raspberry after he and his friends had been walking for a few hours, "How did people go anywhere without a flying bison?"

"Well, I don't know, Aang." Katara drawled sarcastically from the boy, "Why don't you ask Sokka's instincts? They seem to know everything."

"Ha, ha, very funny…" Sokka muttered drily from ahead of them."

Aang huffed, "I'm tired of carrying this pack."

"You know who you should ask to carry it for a while?" Katara quipped, "Sokka's instincts."

"That's a great idea." Aang exclaimed with a grin as he looked at the back of Sokka's head, "Hey, Sokka's instincts, would you mind—"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Sokka snapped then glanced over his shoulder as he continued walking, "Look guys, I'm tired too. But the important thing is that we're safe from Fire…Nation"

Sokka trailed off as he walked through the bushes in front of him and saw a Fire Nation campsite with a lot of soldiers. The soldiers paused what they were doing when they saw the three teens before they got to their feet.

"Run!" Sokka shouted as he, Katara, and Aang spun around to run away but a Firebender set the bushes in front of them on fire, cutting off their escape.

"We're cut off!" Sokka shouted as he looked at the advancing soldiers.

"Sokka, your shirt!" Aang shouted, pointing to where Sokka's shirt was on fire.

"AH!" The Water Tribe boy yelled and Katara quickly Waterbending the water in her canteen on to his shirt, putting out the fire then sent the fire back into the canteen.

The three teens took their stances with their backs to each other as they faced the Fire Nation soldiers surrounding them in a half-circle with the flaming bush behind them.

"If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you." Sokka stated to the soldiers, standing protectively in front of Aang and Katara.

"What are you doing?" Katara hissed at him worriedly.

"Bluffing?" Sokka whispered back, glancing over his shoulder at his sister.

"_You_ promise not to hurt _us_?" A soldier with an eye patch scoffed in amusement only to grunt a moment later and fall to the ground, flat on his face.

"Nice work, Sokka!" Aang cheered, grinning at the older boy, "How'd you do that?"

"Uh, instinct?" Sokka replied, just as confused.

"Look!" Katara shouted, pointing up at a tree, where a boy about Sokka's age was standing on a tree branch, pulling two hooked swords from behind his back.

The three watched as the young man jumped backwards off the tree branch, using the hooked part of swords to grab the branch and swing towards the Fire Nation soldiers. The young man landed on two soldiers then ran forward, grabbing two other soldiers' ankles with the hooks on his swords, yanking the swords and flipping the soldiers as he flipped forward himself. The two soldiers fell on top of the first unconscious soldier and the young man landed in a crouch, pointing on of his swords at the rest of the soldiers.

"Down you go." He quipped with a smirk, a long blade of grass hanging from the corner of his mouth.

Sokka looked at the boy in confusion and Aang looked shocked while Katara stared at the boy in utter amazement, hearts practically in her eyes. The watched as another soldier charged at the boy from behind but the boy spun around, catching the soldier's arm with one of the hooked swords and swung him away. The other soldiers looked at the fallen man in shock then looked up.

"There in the trees!" One shouted and a young boy in a helmet landed on his shoulders.

The young boy spun the soldier's helmet around, blinding him, then began to laugh loudly as he rode the soldier around the camp. The three noticed another boy shooting arrows at the soldiers from a tree branch while more boys began to drop to the ground and engage the soldiers.

Standing back-to-back, Katara and Aang use their bending to fight the soldiers that had surrounded them, Katara sending a wave of water at them while Aang used a gust of air to knock the men off their feet.

A little bit a ways behind the two benders, Sokka gave a battle cry and held up his boomerang in preparation as a Fire Nation soldier charged towards him with his sword.

Sokka's battle cry died out as the boy with the hooked swords appeared, placing his swords on the ground and kicking the soldier into a tree.

"Hey, he was mine!" Sokka snapped angrily at the boy, but the other boy just smirked.

"Gotta be quicker next time." The boy quipped and rushed back into the fight, leaving a dismayed Sokka staring after him.

A huge boy dropped down from the tree behind two soldiers that looked up at him in shock for a moment before their eyes narrowed and they pointed their swords at the large boy. The large boy smirked, pulling a log from his back and smashing the swords. The two soldiers backed away with small gasps of surprise then dropped the broken weapons and ran away.

The boy with the hooked swords smirked as he watched the two soldiers run away before his attention was grabbed by another soldier about to run him through with his spear. The boy spun around, catching the tip of the spear between the two hooks at the end of his swords. The two struggled for a moment then the boy swung around and knocked the spear out of the soldier's hands, sending it into the back of another soldier's head, knocking him out.

"Aw, man!" Sokka complained as the solider in front of him fell to the ground.

The boy disarmed another spear-wielding soldier, knocking him forward then using his head as a make-shift springboard. He ran forward, skidding to a stop in front of Katara.

"Hey." He greeted as he smirked down at her.

"Hi." Katara replied almost breathlessly as she looked up at the cute boy.

The boy smiled slightly and turned to look at the camp just as the last soldier ran away, leaving just the boys in the camp, watching the soldier run away.

"You just took out a whole army almost single-handed!" Aang exclaimed as he and Sokka came up behind the boy and Katara, looking at the camp in amazement.

"Army?" Sokka scoffed disdainfully as the boy walked further into the camp, "There were only like, twenty guys…"

"My name is Jet." The boy introduced himself as he turned back to face the three then nodded his head towards the other boys in the camp, "And these are my Freedom Fighters, Sneers, Longshot, Smellerbee, The Duke, and Pipsqueak."

Jet pointed to a boy eating from a bowl first, then the boy in a straw hat holding a bow and a quiver of arrows, then the boy holding a knife if his mouth and two of the Fire Nation swords in his hands, then the little boy in the helmet, and lastly the largest boy in the group who was still holding the log in his hand.

Aang laughed and looked at the youngest boy in the group, The Duke as he walked towards him and the largest boy, "Pipsqueak, that's a funny name."

The Duke pointed to the actual Pipsqueak who loomed threateningly over Aang's much smaller form.

"You think my name's funny?" He demanded in a deep voice.

"It's hilarious!" Aang exclaimed, completely unafraid.

Pipsqueak looked down at Aang for a moment before laughing hysterically, Aang and the Duke joining him a moment later. Pipsqueak smacked him on the back, accidently knocking the bald boy onto his face, causing the Duke to stop laughing for a moment before Aang lifted his head and continued to laugh.

* * *

"Umm, thanks for saving us, Jet." Katara said as she approached the slightly older boy while the other Freedom Fighters raided the camp, "We're lucky you were there."

Jet turned to look at Katara with a smile as he leaned against the tree, "I should be thanking you. We were waiting to ambush those soldiers all morning, we just needed the right distraction, and then you guys stumbled in."

"We were relying on instincts." Katara commented drily, eyeing her brother from across the camp.

"You'll get yourself killed doing that." Jet stated with a smirk.

Sokka scowled at them and walked to where they had dropped their packs when they first had stumbled into the Fire Nation camp.

The Duke dipped his finger into one of the barrels then sniffed the yellow gunk on his finger.

"Hey, Jet!" The youngest Freedom Fighter called out to his leader, "These barrels are filled with blasting jelly."

"That's a great score." Jet called back, smiling slightly when Pipsqueak turned to face him, holding up a wooden box.

"And these boxes are filled with jelly candy!"

"Also good," Jet said in approval, then quirked his lips in amusement, "Let's not get those mixed up."

"We'll take this stuff back to the hideout." The Duke stated as he and the other Freedom Fighters loaded the barrels and boxes into a cart.

"You guys have a hideout?" Aang asked, looking at Jet excitedly.

"You wanna see it?" Jet questioned with a smirk.

"Yes, we wanna see it!" Katara agreed instantly, her hands clasped under her chin as she looked up at Jet adoringly.

The older boy smiled down at her, his expression showing fondness.

* * *

The white-haired watched Iroh sitting across from her warily, letting the steaming cup of tea he had handed to her warm her hands.

"There is no need to be frightened, child." Iroh said soothing as he poured tea into his own teacup then settled the teapot back into the middle of the table.

The white-haired girl merely continued to watch him in silence as he took a careful sip of from his cup.

Iroh sighed softly when the girl still didn't speak and he placed his cup back on the table, folding his hands on his belly as he looked at her carefully.

"My name is Iroh." He introduced himself after a moment of silence, but the girl still remained mute, "May I ask what your name is?"

Iroh didn't really expect the girl to answer so when a soft, raspy voice reached his ears, he nearly spit out the mouthful of tea he'd been about drink.

"Excuse me?" He questioned with barely veiled surprise as he put his teacup back on the table and dabbed at his mouth with a handkerchief.

The white-haired girl cleared her throat, "Xiaodan. My name is Xiaodan."

Iroh smiled paternally at the teen girl, "A beautiful name for a beautiful young woman."

Xiaodan snorted a quiet laugh, her tea sloshing slightly in her cup at his words; she knew she probably looked like a wreck, her hair hadn't been washed or brushed in days, she hadn't slept for just as long nor had she eaten either. Yeah, she most definitely looked anything but beautiful at the moment, but she gave the kind old man a pleasant smile at his attempt at flattery.

Iroh gave her an amused smile and gestured towards the teacup still in her hands, "You should drink. You are probably dehydrated."

Xiaodan gave him a wary look but slowly raised the cup to her lips, breathing in the sweet smell of jasmine then took a small sip. Her eyes closed blissfully as the warm liquid slid down her throat and she took another, large sip of the tea.

"Does it taste alright?"

"Yes, thank you." Xiaodan said as she opened her eyes and then placed teacup carefully on the table, folding her hands as she looked Iroh in the eye, "Now, why are really helping me? I doubt it's out of the kindness of your heart."

Iroh blinked in surprise at the girl, his cup held halfway to his mouth which had fallen open in shock at the girl's bluntness.

"Why would it be so hard for you to believe I am merely helping you out of kindness?" He questioned, placing his cup on the table and leaning forward slightly.

Molten orange eyes stared back at him unflinchingly as she leaned forward as well, "Because you are Fire Nation and the Fire Nation does not act with kindness anymore."

"Yes, the Fire Nation has changed much since your time, I'm sure." Iroh mused thoughtfully as he rubbed his beard then he looked at her curiously, "If I may, how old are you exactly, Miss Xiaodan."

Xiaodan gave a the old man a perplexed look and shook her head, "You are a very strange old man, Master Iroh, a very strange man."

Iroh smiled faintly as behind the rim of his teacup as he took a sip, watching the wary teen with an amused look.

* * *

"We're here." Jet stated with a grin as the group stopped in the middle of the forest.

"Where?" Sokka asked drily as he looked around, "There's nothing here."

"Hold this." Jet instructed, passing a rope with a loop at the end to the Water Tribe boy.

"Why? What's this do?" Sokka asked skeptically as he grabbed the rope only to scream as he was pulled up into the branches above them.

Jet smirked slightly and offered another rope to the young Airbender, "Aang?"

"I'll get on my own." Aang said with a smile then leapt into the trees, using Airbending propel himself upward and jump from branch-to-branch.

Jet watched the bald boy fly up into the trees with a smirk on his face then he turned to Katara, holding his hand out to her after looping the rope around his arm.

"Grab hold of me, Katara."

The dark-haired girl blushed and placed her hand into the older boy's, her blush darkening slightly when he pulled her against his side and the rope lifted them up into the trees. Jet let go of the rope once they reached a wooden platform that wrapped around the tree, high above the ground.

"Nice place you got!" Aang shouted as he zip-lined past them with Momo flying after him.

"It's beautiful up here." Katara exclaimed as she stood beside Jet and looked out at the various wooden platforms, bridges, and zip lines connected to the trees.

"It's beautiful…" Jet agreed as he looked at the Freedom Fighters' hideout, "And more importantly the Fire Nation can't find us."

"They would love to find you. Wouldn't they Jet?" Smellerbee asked as she landed near the two, a smirk on her boyish face.

"It's not gonna happen, Smellerbee." Jet responded with a slight smile as they began to walk across one of the bridges.

"Why does the Fire Nation want to find you?" Katara asked the older boy, smiling slightly when she saw Aang zip-line overhead; she was glad he was enjoying himself at the moment, she knew Xiaodan's disappearance had been hard on him.

"I guess you could say I've been causing them a little trouble." Jet answered her question, pulling her attention from the bald boy and back to him as he continued, "See, they took over a nearby Earth Kingdom town a few years back."

"We've been ambushin' their troops, cutting off their supply lines, and doing anything we can to mess with 'em." Pipsqueak piped in from behind Jet and Katara, Sokka hopping around in an attempt to get past the large boy.

"One day, we'll drive the Fire Nation out of here for good and free that town." Jet stated passionately, his expression turning hard.

"That's so brave." Katara cooed, looking at him in awe just as Sokka appeared slightly behind them after getting past Pipsqueak.

"Yeah, nothing's braver than a guy in a tree house." The Water Tribe boy drawled sarcastically, crossing his arms over his shoulder.

"Don't pay attention to my brother." Katara stated, glaring at her brother.

"No problem." Jet responded easily, "He probably had a rough day."

"So, you all live here?" Katara asked, ignoring her brother as he scowled and fell back.

"That's right. Longshot over there?" Jet agreed and nodded his head towards Longshot and the Duke, "His town got burned down by the Fire Nation. And we found the Duke trying to steal our food. I don't think he ever really had a home."

"What about you?" Katara asked curiously, stopping when the older boy stopped walking and the others walked past.

"The Fire Nation killed my parents." He said quietly, looking down at his clenched fists, "I was only eight years old. That day changed me forever."

Katara looked away as she put her hand to her neck where her mother's necklace used to be, "Sokka and I lost our mother to the Fire Nation."

"I'm sorry, Katara." Jet said gently and Katara gave him as small smile that quickly turned sad.

"Thanks." She stated then looked over to where Aang was still zip-lining through the hideout, "It's really terrible because we lost one of group a few days ago. Aang's sister, Xiaodan, we think she was captured by the Fire Nation."

Jet frowned and put his hand on her shoulder in sympathy as he followed her gaze to the young boy in the trees.

* * *

Iroh stepped into the bridge of the ship, a serene smile on his face as walked out onto the observation deck attached to the top of the command center on the ship.

"Well, did you learn anything?" Zuko demanded as he turned to face his uncle, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the rail wrapped around the observation deck.

"Hmm…" Iroh hummed as he came to a stop in front of his nephew, his hands folded in his robes' large sleeves and his serene, close-eyed smile still on his face, "I learned that our young guest's name is Xiaodan and she is the same age as you."

Zuko's eye twitched and he glared at his peaceful expression.

"That's all?!" He growled as he uncrossed his arms and his fists clenched at his sides.

"Of course not!" Iroh exclaimed, opening his eyes and looking at his nephew slightly affronted, but he didn't elaborate as he gazed out at the ocean in front of them.

The banished prince growled slightly and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Well?"

"I also learned that her favorite color is blue, she enjoys jasmine tea but prefers ginseng, and she is an admirable Pai Sho opponent."

Silence met his statement.

"WHAT?!" Zuko shouted, fire daggers shooting from his clenched fists as he began pacing in front of his calm uncle, "Did you learn anything about the Avatar's whereabouts?!"

Iroh paused and his brow furrowed slightly, "Well no… No, I did not."

* * *

"Today, we struck another blow against the Fire Nation swine!" Jet called out as he climbed onto the large table on the largest platform and held out his cup to his Freedom Fighters and their newest arrivals.

The Freedom Fighters cheered loudly, Katara and Aang smiled, while Sokka scowled at the boy standing at the head of the table.

"I got a special joy from the look on one soldier's face, when the Duke dropped down on his helmet and rode him like a wild hog monkey!" The leader of the Freedom Fighters said with a laugh and gestured for the young boy to—sans his own helmet—climb up onto the table with him, while the others cheered again.

Jet waited for the cheers to die down then continued his speech, "Now, the Fire Nation thinks they don't have to worry about a couple kids hiding in trees. Maybe they're right."

He lifted his cup, preparing to take a drink as his Fighters booed loudly, their facial expressions angry.

"Or maybe…" Jet started, his own expression angry as he turned to look at the other Fighters, "They are _dead_ wrong."

The Freedom Fighters cheered loudly and Jet smirked as he got down from the table and sat down between Katara and Sokka.

"Hey Jet, nice speech." Katara praised slightly with a smile at the boy.

"Thanks," Jet replied with his own smile as he turned to look at the Katara and Aang, "By the way, I was really impressed with you and Aang. That was some great bending I saw out there today."

"Well, he's great. He's the Avatar." Katara said humbly as a blush appeared on her tanned cheeks, "I could use more training."

"Avatar, huh?" Jet almost purred, giving Katara and Aang a sidelong glance, "Very nice."

"Thanks, Jet." Aang said happily and gave the older boy an admiring look, before his expression fell slightly and his voice turned shy, "But I'm not all that great, Xia was much better at Airbending than me."

Jet gave the young boy a sympathetic look then his expression turned persuasive, "I might know a way that you and Katara can help in our struggle."

"Unfortunately, we have to leave tonight." Sokka cut in as he stood and started to walk away.

"Aw, Sokka, you're kidding me!" Jet stated, looking over his shoulder at the Water Tribe boy, "I needed you on an important mission tomorrow."

Sokka paused and turned around to face the other boy, "What mission?"

* * *

"Get up, peasant!"

Xiaodan woke with a start as the metal door Iroh had had her moved to the day before was thrown open and she was roughly yanked from the sleeping mat in the corner room then pulled to her feet. The white-haired girl yanked her arm out of the tight grip and blinked the blurriness from her eyes until they focused on the angry face of the banished prince. Molten orange eyes narrowed in irritation at the young man

"What do you want?" Xiaodan questioned as she rubbed her sore arm then yawned widely, "I was trying to sleep, you know."

Zuko merely grabbed her arm again then practically dragged her out of the metal room and towards the top deck of his warship. Xiaodan scowled at his back and tried to yank her arm from his grasp, but his hold was tight and Xiaodan knew she'd probably have bruises later.

"Let me go, you irritating son of hog-monkey!" The white-haired girl shouted angrily then yelped as she stumbled to her knees after the angry prince pushed her out of the command tower and onto the top deck.

Zuko stalked past her towards the center of the deck and Xiaodan noticed for the first time that he wasn't in his usual armor, but in a somewhat loose brown tunic with yellow trim, brown pants, and calf-high boots.

"Spirits, you _are _pushy, aren't you?" Xiaodan grumbled as she got to her feet and rubbed her bruising arm.

"Be quiet and come here, peasant." Zuko ordered as he moved into a Firebending stance.

"Be quiet and come here, peasant." Xiaodan parroted annoyingly and crossed her arms over chest, refusing to move from where she was standing, "What in Spirits' makes you think that I'll do _anything _you tell me to?"

The prince sneered and sent a blast of fire at the mouthy white-haired girl, watching as she yelped and bent completely backwards until her hands touched the deck behind her feet, the fireball passing harmlessly over her bent body.

"Are you nuts?!" Xiaodan shouted as she straightened, giving the psycho an annoyed look, "Wait, I already know the answer to that so let me rephrase. What the Spirits is your problem?!"

"Fight me, Airbender!" Zuko commanded and kicked a fire blast at the girl.

Xiaodan jumped away from the fireball, noticing that some of the crew had gathered around them in a loose circle which effectively blocked any chance of escape. The girl continued to dance around the make-shift ring she was trapped in with the angry Zuko as he continued to blast fireballs at her.

"Prince Zuko!" Iroh's voice suddenly rang out as he forced his way between two of the crew members and grabbed Zuko by the ankle just as the scarred prince was about to kick another fireball at the white-haired girl, "What is the meaning of this?!"

Xiaodan let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and she bent forward with her hands on her thighs, watching the prince and his uncle from the curtain of her hair.

"Uncle, she can help me learn how to fight the Avatar!" Zuko snapped after he's jerked his foot from Iroh's hand, "I can learn how to fight against an Airbender!"

"You really are nuts…" Xiaodan muttered as she straightened and tossing her waist-length hair over her shoulder, "Just my luck to be kidnapped by a psycho, banished Fire Nation prince with a superiority complex. I bet the Spirits are laughing at me right now in the Spirit World."

Iroh glanced over his should er at the muttering girl then turned back to his nephew with a stern look on his face.

"Did Miss Xiaodan agree to this exercise?"

"No, she did not!" Xiaodan shouted from behind the two men, but she was ignored.

"I don't need to ask a prisoner for permission to do anything!" Zuko snarled at his uncle, "She is my prisoner and she will do as she is ordered!"

"In your dreams, firebug!" Xiaodan hissed as she stalked past Iroh and poked Zuko's chest, "You can do whatever you want to me and I still won't do _anything _you tell me to do, you little fire shooting, girl-hitting jerk!"

"Why you annoying, mouthy, little pest…" Zuko growled as the two glared at each other, their noses practically touching.

"Calm down, both of you!" Iroh barked, pushing the two furious teens apart and moving to stand between them, "Prince Zuko, Miss Xiaodan may be your captive but you will treat her with respect and courtesy. And you, young lady, are technically a prisoner and you must cooperate and not antagonize your captor."

Xiaodan scowled darkly, her orange eyes glowing like twin fires as she and the prince glared at each other.

"I will not help him hurt my brother." She stated through clenched teeth, her hands in white-knuckled fists at her sides.

Zuko's expression changed instantly from furious to surprise.

"The Avatar is your brother?" He demanded, his golden eyes glittering with wicked intent.

Xiaodan groaned when she realized her mistake and began beating her head against the ship's railing. Iroh stroked his beard as he watched the girl from beside his nephew, who was now grinning victoriously.

* * *

Sokka watched Jet cup his hands around his mouth and made a few birdcalls from a slightly higher branch. Several trees away, Smellerbee and Pipsqueak stepped into view, and Smellerbee replied with her own birdcall. Sokka pulled his jawbone knife from its sheath and slammed the blade into the tree.

"What are you doing?" Jet asked quietly, looking behind him at the other boy.

"Shh…" Sokka shushed him, leaning closer to the knife, "It amplifies vibrations."

"Good trick." Jet complimented, actually impressed with the other boy.

"Nothing yet." Sokka muttered after he put his ear against the knife handle, then paused, "Wait! Yes, someone's approaching."

"How many?" Jet whispered back.

"I think there's just one." Sokka replied just as quietly and Jet turned back to face the path below them and made a couple more birdcalls.

"Good work, Sokka." The Freedom Fighters' leader complimented as he looked back at the Water Tribe boy, "Ready your weapon."

Sokka pulled his knife from the tree and held it at the ready, looking down at the road only to blink in surprise when he saw an old man shuffling down the path.

"Wait, false alarm…" Sokka whispered to Jet as he relaxed slightly, "He's just an old man."

Jet ignored him and leaped from the branch, landing a few feet in front of the old man with his swords drawn.

"What are you doing in our woods, you leech?" Jet demanded with a sneer.

"Please, sir, I'm just a traveler." The old man stated as he held one hand out imploringly.

Jet took a few steps forward and the man back away slightly then Jet used one of his swords to smack the old man's walking stick out of his hand. The old man whimpered slightly and turned around to run away only to run straight into Pipsqueak's chest, which sent him to the ground. The large boy loomed over the old man and the elderly man attempted to crawl away but Pipsqueak stopped him by pushing his foot into the old man's back.

"Do you like destroying towns? Do you like destroying families?" Jet demanded harshly as he walked up to the old man pinned to the ground, "Do you?!"

"Oh…please let me go." The elderly man begged, "Have mercy."

"Does the Fire Nation let people go? Does the Fire Nation have mercy?" Jet snarled and pulled his foot back to kick the man only for Sokka to grab his ankle with his club.

"Jet, he's just an old man!" Sokka protested and Jet whirled around to face the Water Tribe boy, pulling his foot away from the club.

"He's Fire Nation, search him!" Jet ordered Pipsqueak and Smellerbee as he loomed over Sokka.

"But he's not hurting anyone!" Sokka shouted angrily as Pipsqueak pulled the old man to his feet and Smellerbee began to search him.

"Have you forgotten that the Fire Nation killed your mother?" Jet demanded as he glared at the other teen, "Remember why you fight!"

"We've got his stuff, Jet." Smellerbee broke in as she held up the old man's bag and Pipsqueak tossed him back to the ground.

"This doesn't feel right." Sokka growled, glaring up at Jet furiously.

"It's what has to be done." Jet retorted then shoved past Sokka, "Now, let's get outta here."

Pipsqueak and Smellerbee followed after their leader and Sokka looked down at the old man still on the ground, his expression full of pity.

"Come on, Sokka!" Jet ordered over his shoulder and Sokka backed away from the man then turned around slowly, running to catch up with the other three.

* * *

"Sokka, look what the Duke gave me!" Aang exclaimed as he jumped off the zip-line and onto the platform Sokka was brooding on, reaching into the bag and pulling a small pelt from it.

The young Airbender grinned slyly then tossed the pellet at the platform, next to where Momo was sitting where it exploded with a pop. Momo jumped up and growled angrily with his hair standing on end then he hissed and lunged for the bag. The lemur scaled up Aang's body and perched on his shoulder, tossing several of the pellets he had snatched at the bald boy's feet, causing Aang to begin dancing around wildly.

"Ow!" Aang yelped as he danced, "Quit it!"

Sokka ignored Aang and Momo, continuing to glare at his hands folded in his lap with his back to the trunk of the tree. Katara climbed down from the platform above and walked over to her brother, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Hey, Sokka." She greeted, "Is Jet back?"

"Yeah, he's back." Sokka snapped, turning to look over at his sister and Aang, "But we're leaving."

"What?" Aang asked, confused and slightly upset while Katara looked at her brother in surprise.

"But I made him this hat." Katara whined slightly, holding up a hat made out of stitched leaves with an orange flower on top.

"You're boyfriend Jet's a thug." Sokka stated, his arms crossed over his shoulder as he stared at his sister and Aang.

"What?" Katara demanded then protested, "No, he's not!"

"He's messed up, Katara."

"He's not messed up, he's just got a different way of life." Aang piped in, his tone slightly irritated, "A really fun way of life. Xia would have agreed with me."

"Well, Xia's not here and Jet beat and robbed a harmless old man!" The Water Tribe boy barked, causing Aang to flinch slightly and looked down.

"I want to hear Jet's side of the story." Katara said angrily, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes narrowed.

* * *

"Sokka, you told them what happened, but you didn't mention that the guy was Fire Nation?" Jet asked, his eyes closed as he sat on his bed in his room with Katara and Aang standing in front of him while Sokka leaned against the wall behind them.

"No, he conveniently left that part out." Katara replied, turning to glare at her brother.

"Fine!" Sokka stated, pushing away from the wall and walking to stand by his sister, " But even if he was Fire Nation, he was harmless civilian!"

"He was an assassin, Sokka." Jet commented calmly as he pulled out a curved knife and stabbed it into the table made out of a stump in front of him.

"See? There's a compartment for poison in the knife." Jet explained as he unscrewed the top of the handle and removed a small vial filled with red liquid, "He was sent to eliminate me. You helped save my life, Sokka."

"I knew there was an explanation!" Katara exclaimed in relief as she smiled slightly.

Sokka frowned and glared at the blade, "I didn't see any knife."

"That's because he was concealing it." The Freedom Fighters' leader insisted and Katara gestured to the knife with a small smile.

"See, Sokka? I'm sure you just didn't notice the knife."

"There was no knife!" Sokka exploded then whirled around to leave, "I'm back to the hut and packing my things."

Jet watched as the older Water Tribe sibling stomp out of the room then he turned to look at Aang and Katara imploringly as he got to his feet.

"Tell me you guys aren't leaving yet. I really need your help."

"What can we do?" Aang asked, eager to help the older teen as he tried not to let what Sokka said earlier affect him.

"The Fire Nation is planning on burning down our forest." Jet explained, "If you both use Waterbending to fill the reservoir, we could fight the fires. But if you leave now, they'll destroy the whole valley."

Aang and Katara looked at each other then back at Jet, nodding their heads in agreement.

* * *

"We can't leave now with the Fire Nation about to burn down a forest!" Katara shouted at her brother as she and Aang entered the hut they had been staying.

"I'm sorry, Katara." Sokka apologized as he finished tying up his bedroll then stood and faced his sister and friend, "Jet's very smooth, but we can't trust him."

"You know what I think?" Katara commented as she crossed her arms, "You're jealous that he's a better warrior and a better leader!"

"Katara, I'm not jealous of Jet." Sokka retorted as calmly as he could, "It's just that my instinct—"

"Well _my _instincts tell me we need to stay here a little longer and help Jet." Katara cut her brother off then turned and started leaving the hut, "Come on, Aang."

Aang hesitated a moment, thinking about what Xia would do in this situation before he turned and followed after Katara.

"Sorry, Sokka." The Airbender apologized over his shoulder.

* * *

Xiaodan looked out the narrow, red-tinted window in the room she had slept in the night before, staring up at the full moon longingly. She tugged at the hem of her dark orange shirt and wondered if Aang, Sokka, and Katara were doing okay, wherever they were.

She had been locked in the metal room shortly after hers and Zuko's argument on the deck of the ship, after she had accidently said Aang was her brother. Iroh had brought dinner and tea just as the sun had set, then he had sat down to eat and drink tea with her until he had retired to bed hours ago.

The white-haired girl sighed quietly and let the hem of her shirt go, placing her hand on the red-tinted glass with her fingers spread so that they covered the moon.

"Please be safe, Aang." She whispered quietly then stood and moved to the sleeping mat in the corner of the room, relaxing her body and mind until she fell into a light sleep.

* * *

"Let's go."

"Huh?" Sokka muttered quietly as he woke up from his light sleep.

He carefully stepped over Aang and Katara's sleeping bodies and pulled back the tattered cloth covering the entrance to the hut, his eyes narrowing when he saw Jet and a couple Freedom Fighters descend from the rope lines. Thinking quickly, Sokka tip-toed out of the hut and grabbed one of the rope lines, swinging to a lower branch where he crouched, watching Jet lead Smellerbee, Pipsqueak, Longshot, and Sneers with the cart full of barrels of blasting jelly away from the hideout. Stealthily, Sokka climbed down from the tree and followed the group, using the trees on one side of the path for cover.

Jet leaded his Freedom Fighters out of the forest and walked towards the edge of the cliff, looking at the valley below, where upstream and towards the wall of the valley is an old falls and beyond that a man-made dam. Jet turned his gaze from the valley and looked at the dam, where the low reservoir was.

"Now listen," Jet ordered as he turned back to his Freedom Fighters, "You are not to blow the dam until I give the signal. If the reservoir isn't full, the Fire Nation troops could survive."

The Duke jumped off the wagon and looked up at his leader curiously, "But what about the people in the town, won't they get wiped out too?"

Jet walked up to the youngest Freedom Fighter and placed his hand on his small shoulder.

"Look Duke, that's the prince of ridding this area of the Fire Nation." He explained gently then looked at Longshot, "Now don't blow the damn until I give you the signal—got it?"

Longshot nodded his head, remaining characteristically silent.

* * *

Sokka watched the group with an incredulous expression as he listened to Jet's plan. He frowned and was about to head back to the hideout when a rustling sounded behind him and he was suddenly yanked out of the bushes by his ponytail by Pipsqueak.

"Where do you think you're going, ponytail?" Smellerbee sneered, pressing the tip of her knife against Sokka's throat.

* * *

"Sokka, I'm glad you decided to join us." Jet stated sarcastically from his spot standing at the edge of the cliff as Pipsqueak and Smellerbee dragged the struggling Water Tribe boy towards him.

Pipsqueak and Smellerbee pushed Sokka to his knees in front of Jet and Sokka rubbed his shoulder.

"I heard you plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom town." The Water Tribe boy snapped and glared up at Jet, getting slowly to his feet.

"Our plan is to rid the valley of the Fire Nation." Jet said unwaveringly.

"There are people living there Jet!" Sokka yelled angrily, "Mothers and fathers and children!"

"We can't win without making some sacrifices."

"You lied to Aang and Katara about the forest fire!" Sokka accused, pointing his finger at Jet.

"Because they don't understand the demands of war." Jet explained calmly, "Not like you and I do."

"I do understand." Sokka stated coolly, "I understand that there's nothing you won't do to get what you want."

"I was hoping you'd have an open mind," Jet stated reproachfully as he closed his eyes for a moment then looked at Sokka, "But, I can see you've made your choice."

Pipsqueak and Smellerbee made a grab for Sokka and before he could even react his wrist is pinned by the hooks at the end of Jet's swords while Smellerbee pinned his other arm behind his back.

"I can't let you warn Katara and Aang." Jet stated as he let go of Sokka's wrist which is forced behind his back by Smellerbee, "Take him for a walk, a long walk."

"You can't do this!" Sokka shouted as Smellerbee and Pipsqueak began dragging him away.

"Cheer up, Sokka." Jet commented lightly, "We're gonna win a great victory against the Fire Nation today."

* * *

Xiaodan sat across from Iroh on the deck, staring intently at the Pai Sho board that had been brought, along with a small table by a crew member after she and Iroh had eaten breakfast. Lips pursed thoughtfully, Xiaodan tapped her chin then pushed one of her pieces forward three spaces.

"An interesting move, Miss Xiaodan." Iroh mused as he stared thoughtfully at the board, stroking his beard then moved one of his own pieces.

"Xia." She muttered as she mental went through various moves in her mind, "Call me Xia."

"Very well," Iroh agreed with a slight smile as the girl moved her piece then he frowned when he realized he had just lost, "Shoot…"

Xiaodan giggled lightly, covering her mouth with a hand at the irritated look on the old man's face as he looked at the board from different angles in an attempt to figure out how she had beat him again.

Iroh huffed as he sat back down across from her on the small floor cushion, "Well played, young lady, very well played."

The white-haired girl gave him a cheeky smile that was quickly wiped off her tanned face when Zuko stomped out of the command tower and stormed towards them.

"Uncle!" The scarred prince shouted, sounding angry as always as he walked towards them, "We need…"

Zuko's voice trailed off and his eyes narrowed when he saw the white-haired girl sitting across from his uncle at the Pai Sho board, an irritatingly defiant look on her tanned and tattooed face.

"What's up, Firebug?" She drawled in amusement, ducking her head to hide the mischievous smile on her face when Iroh sent her a reproving look; she still refused to cooperate or stop antagonizing the banished Fire Nation prince and Iroh knew this.

"Uncle, why is the prisoner out of her room without being bound?" Zuko demanded, looking down at his Iroh when he noticed the white-haired girl didn't have her manacles on her wrists anymore.

Iroh sighed exasperatedly and looked up at his nephew, "Prince Zuko, Xia is a lady and you do not chain up ladies, prisoner or not."

"She is no lady, Uncle! She is nothing but an Air Nomad peasant!" Zuko retorted, glaring over at the white-haired girl who merely stuck out her tongue out at him childish, her orange eyes glittering with mischief and defiance.

"Prince Zuko!" Iroh scolded, giving his nephew a stern look and Zuko looked away with a scowl, "Now, what is it you wanted?"

"I wish to question the prisoner about the Avatar's location." Zuko rumbled through clenched teeth, his hands fisted at his sides.

"Not gonna happen." Xiaodan sang stubbornly as she began clearing the Pai Sho board in preparation for another game, "Besides how can I know his location when I have not been traveling with him for the past five days?"

Zuko's eye twitched and he glowered at the girl's bowed head while Iroh hid an amused smile behind his fan.

"If you insist on evading questions," Zuko hissed, his teeth still clenched, "Then you and I can spar instead, maybe that will loosen your tongue."

"Sorry, Firebug," Xiaodan stated unapologetically as she placed Iroh's Pai Sho tiles in his hand, then began organizing her own, "I'm playing Pai Sho with your uncle."

"Perhaps, you would like to play against her instead of spar, Prince Zuko." Iroh suggested, grinning when he saw the horrified looks on the two teens' faces.

Zuko growled and whirled around, stomping back towards the command tower, leaving Xiaodan and Iroh to watch his retreating form.

"He really should remove that stick from his backside." Xiaodan commented offhandedly as she placed one of her pieces on the board.

Iroh just shook his head and moved his own piece, his lips quirked in amusement.

* * *

"Why, Jet?!" Katara shouted after freezing the leader of the Freedom Fighters to a tree after she and Aang had seen a couple of the Freedom Fighters unloading the barrels of blasting jelly from the cart and arranging them around the dam and Jet had attacked Aang after the young Airbender had tried to go and stop them, "I can't believe I trusted you! You lied to me, you're sick and I trusted you!"

A birdcall startled Aang and Katara and they looked towards the valley then back to Jet when the young man gave an answering birdcall.

"What are you doing?" Katara demanded worriedly.

"You're too late." Jet commented coolly and Katara's expression became horrified.

"No!"

Aang opened his glider and ran towards the cliff edge, snapping his glider open but they were so badly damaged that he couldn't get any lift and slammed back into the ground near the edge.

"Sokka's still out there, he's our only hope." Aang muttered, in pain from the fall as Katara ran towards him and helped him up.

"Come on, Sokka." Katara whispered, looking out at the valley, "I'm sorry I ever doubted you, please!"

The two benders watched in horror as a flaming arrow soared through the air, arcing down towards the base of the dam.

"No…" Katara whispered as the center of the dam exploded in a cloud and fire, she and Aang watching as a massive wall of water broke free and rushed towards the town.

The wall of water rushed through the open gate, a cresting wave dwarfing it as the wall and gate are swallowed and the wave struck the down.

"Sokka didn't make it in time…" Aang rasped, looking in horror at the submerged town in the valley.

"All those people…" Katara whispered as tears gathered in her eyes then she whirled around to face Jet, her expression full of rage, "Jet, you monster!"

"This is a victory, Katara. Remember that." Jet stated firmly, "The Fire Nation is gone and this valley will be safe."

"It will be safe, without you."

Jet, Katara, and Aang looked shock as they watched Sokka, Appa and Momo rise from below the level of the cliff.

"Sokka!" Katara cried out, looking up at her brother where he was sitting on Appa's head as Momo jumped into Aang's arms.

"I warned the villagers of your plan, just in time." Sokka stated, glaring over at Jet fiercely.

"What!?" Jet shouted in shock, looking at Sokka in surprise.

"At first they didn't believe me." Sokka explained, "The Fire Nation soldiers assumed I was a spy, but one man vouched for me, the old man you attacked. He urged them to trust me, and we got everyone out in time."

"Sokka, you fool!" Jet shouted angrily, straining against the ice trapping him to the trees, "We could've freed this valley!"

"Who would be free?" Sokka asked rhetorically as Aang climbed into Appa's saddle, "Everyone would be dead."

"You traitor!"

"No, Jet." Sokka stated with a shake of his head, "You became the traitor when you stopped protecting innocent people."

Jet looked away from Sokka and towards Katara pleadingly.

"Katara." He asked imploringly, "Please, help me."

Katara closed her eyes and climbed into Appa's saddle, "Goodbye, Jet."

"Yip-yip." Sokka said as he flicked the reins and Appa jumped into the air, leaving Jet frozen to tree.

* * *

"We thought you were going to the dam." Aang stated, looking at Sokka curiously, "How come you went to the town instead?"

"Let me guess," Katara teased good-naturedly as she smiled at her brother, "Your instincts told you."

"Hey, sometimes they're right." Sokka said with a grin and a shrug.

"Um…Sokka?" Aang questioned in amusement, "You know we're going the wrong way, right?"

Sokka blinked in surprise, but recovered quickly and turned Appa around with a grin as he headed in the opposite direction.

"And sometimes they're wrong."

Aang smiled slightly and looked away, unable to stop himself from wondering if Xiaodan was okay and what she would have done had she been here. He smiled up at Katara when the dark-haired girl put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

* * *

**Author's Note: Long chapter is freaking long! Seriously, this is the longest chapter yet and I have a feeling future chapters will be just as long if not longer than this one. Anyhooties, I hope I did this chapter alright since it doesn't exactly follow the episode except for a few parts. I also hope Zuko and Iroh weren't too OOC. Next chapter will take place during Season 1 Episode 10: The Great Divide and it will be posted on Saturday, so stay tuned for that!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys rock my world!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Anonymous Guest: **She's okay, it wasn't really a harmful blast just enough to knock her off her feet. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**LadyAmazon: **Thanks! I hope you like this chapter!

**Nicky0: **Don't worry, I won't be discontinue this story. It may sometimes go on hiatus whenever I have my bouts of writer's block but I don't abandon my stories unless it's absolutely necessary. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Ambrosia Maestro: **Haha, despite how much I adore Zuko, I wouldn't want to be kidnapped by him either. He was a bit of a jackass in the first season and if he had kidnapped me, I'd have dropkicked him them punt kicked his ass into the ocean. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Haha, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Yup and yup. XD Xia is going to be the biggest pain in the ass Zuko has ever had to deal with and she's going to enjoy every damn second. The bantering will become more comedic (at least on Xia's end and just planned pissed on Zuko's) as the story progresses until it becomes amusing to both of them instead of just Xia. And to answer your question, it's be kind of both, Xia's time as a prisoner will take place during the actual episodes since I'm going to try to incorporate the episodes in the chapters but any part that isn't actually part of an episode will be purely original material. Anyhooties, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**88dragon06: **Thank you! Haha, pirates make everything exciting. XD I'm glad you enjoyed Xia's capture and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Coloured Red:** I'm super glad that you like the chapter so far! Ah yes, there is a reason that Xia and Aang's paths separated and that is because Aang really doesn't need her anymore since he now has Katara and Sokka (not that they'll just abandon each other or become distant or anything) but Zuko could use someone other than Iroh to be there for him in a similar way that Xia was always there for Aang, just in a less sibling-y way, if that makes sense. Ugh, tell me about it, I just know I'll have a hard time at certain points trying to write non-canon parts and don't get me started on keeping the characters in character, that's going to be a pain in butt, I just know it. And to answer your question about Xia's having Airbending tattoos, I haven't mentioned it because she doesn't have them (I'll be sure to mention that at some point). Xia actually has different tattoos, I'll try to describe them in a later chapter but if you want to know how they look, there's a picture on my profile of how I imagine Xia to look. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: **Thank you! Both for thinking the story is amazing and for making a ship for Xiaodan and Zuko, Zukia is awesome, much better than anything I could have come up with. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!


	12. Chapter 12: The Great Divide

**AN: Twelfth chapter, takes place during Season 1 Episode 11: The Great Divide, not exactly my favorite episode in this season since it's basically a filler, but I'm hoping to spice it up with some Zukia interaction, ship-name courtesy of Vicky Lexi Bennett which is awesome and I'm totally gonna encourage you guys to send me other ship-names for those two. XD Anyhooties, Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

* * *

Katara walked back into the camp with an armload of firewood in her arms, a frown appearing on her face when she noticed Sokka climbing out of the now set up tent.

"Um, aren't you forgetting the tarp?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow at her brother.

"Right, got it." Sokka stated and tossed the rolled up tarp into the tent.

"Sokka, you're supposed to put the tarp _on top _of the tent." Katara explained exasperatedly, then looked up at the sky, "You know so we don't get rained on?"

"Ordinarily, you'd be right," Sokka agreed then gestured to the clear sky where the sun was beginning to set, "But seeing as how it's the dry season, you're not. Besides that tarp makes a pretty warm blanket."

"But what if it does rain?" Katara persisted as her faced scrunched up in irritation.

"What it doesn't?" Sokka retorted and kneeled down to fix one of the ties holding the tent to the ground, "Then I would have put the tarp up for nothing."

Katara growled and stomped her foot in frustration, "You're infuriating!"

"Katara, why don't you worry about gathering firewood," Sokka snapped, turning to glare at his sister then he looked at the small pile of wood in her arms condescendingly, "because that kindling is looking pretty sorry."

"We'll if you don't like my firewood-" Katara shouted, not bothering to finish as tossed the kindling at Sokka who cringed back then jumped to his feet.

"Fine by me, if you're not gonna do you job-" Sokka yelled right back, not bothering to finish his sentence either as he tore the tent down.

The two siblings glared heatedly at each other as Aang approached, some berries in his arms.

"Okay, I got the grub if you guys got the-" Aang broke off when he saw the two siblings glaring at each other in front of the flattened tent before they both turned their backs on one another and crossed their arms, "Hey, where's the campfire? And what happened to the tent?"

"Why don't you ask Miss Know-It-All, Queen of the Twigs." Sokka snarked and Katara whirled around angrily.

"Oh yeah? Well, you're Mister Lazy Bum, King of the-" She paused in the middle of her insult to grab a stick from the ground and throw it at Sokka, hitting him in the back of the head, "Tens!"

Sokka spun around and glared at his sister furiously and Aang laughed slightly and shook his head in amusement, suddenly feeling glad he and Xia had never really acted like Katara and Sokka did.

"Okay, listen guys," Aang stated calmly as he placed the berries on the ground and looked between the siblings, "Harsh words won't solve problems, action will. Why don't you just switch jobs?"

"Sounds good." Katara agreed at the same time Sokka muttered, "Whatever."

"You see that?" Aang asked proudly as Katara bent to fix the tent and Sokka began picking up the sticks from the ground, "Settling feuds and making peace, all in a day's work for the Avatar."

The young Airbender turned his head slightly when he heard his lemur chattering loudly and he saw Momo and Appa fighting over a watermelon. Momo continuously tried to fly away with it, but Appa kept it pinned to the ground with one toe until Momo walked away with his shoulders slumped in defeat and Appa released the melon, about to eat it when the conniving lemur snatched it off his tongue and darted away, only to run into Aang. Smiling slightly, Aang picked up the melon and tossed it into the air, using Airbending to slice it.

Momo chattered annoyance at Aang when he got the smile piece while up quickly ate the larger slice.

"Come on, Momo, that's fair." Aang chided gently, looking down at the petulant lemur with his hands on his hips, "Appa's got five stomachs."

* * *

"Again!" Zuko barked as he and Jee, his lieutenant, practiced Firebending on the top deck.

"Is he always so…" Xiaodan trailed off as she waved her hand at Zuko, gesturing at the prince's whole self and quirked an eyebrow at Iroh who was standing next to her, "If he keeps up all that yelling his head might actually expl—AH!"

The white-haired girl shrieked and leapt into the air, dodging the wayward fireball that had almost hit her in the face.

"You did that on purpose, you jerk!" Xiaodan yelled angrily as she landed lightly on her feet, her loose dark orange and gold tunic fluttering around her body as the air around her died down.

"Oops." Zuko sneered at her and returned to his practice, turning his back on the silently fuming white-haired girl.

Xiaodan growled lowly, clenching her fists and glaring at the banished prince's back angrily before a sudden idea came to her and a sly smile appeared on her tanned face, her body relaxing.

"Xia…" Iroh said warningly as he watched the deceptively relaxed girl warily.

"Iroh," The white-haired girl drawled slowly as took three steps towards the still practicing Zuko, "I'm about to do something incredible foolish."

"Then I would recommend that you don't do whatever it is you are about to do." Iroh replied sagely and stroked his beard.

"Too late." Xiaodan murmured then swung her arm to swung her arm, sending a small gust of wind at the unsuspecting prince and knocking him onto his face.

Iroh's and the rest of the crew's eyes widened, watching with bated breath as the scarred prince pushed himself to his feet and turned to face the cheeky looking white-haired girl standing behind him with her arms crossed over her chest with murderous intent in his gold eyes.

"Oops." Xiaodan quipped, uncrossing her arms and shifting to the balls of her feet while keeping her mocking molten orange eyes on the fuming prince.

"Arg!" He roared and swung his foot, hurling a crescent of flames at Xiaodan.

The white-haired girl bent herself backwards, the fire passing harmlessly over her body, then pushed her hands against the deck and executed a seamless backflip into the air just into to leap over another blast of fire.

Xiaodan leaped and twirled circles around Zuko as he continued to punch and kick fire at her, the cheeky smile never leaving her lips.

"That all you got, Firebug?" She taunted as she landed back on the top deck a foot or so from him when he paused in his attacks only for her eyes to widen when Zuko lunged forward and grabbed her arm.

The banished prince yanked the pale-haired Airbender towards him, twisting her around so her back was to his chest with her arm pinned between them while put her in a chokehold with his free arm.

"Is that the best you can do?" He hissed mockingly into her ear, "Avoid and evade like a coward? You Airbenders are pathetic and weak."

Xiaodan's mind raced as she tried to think of a way to get out of her current situation. This was not what she had planned on happening when she had goaded him into attacking her. She had stupidly not taking into account that Firebending might not be his only way of fighting and now she was paying for it. Xiaodan's eyes narrowed when an idea came to her. It went practically everything Gyatso and the other monks had taught her, not to mention that she was going to be _so _sore afterwards.

"Coward, huh?" She muttered and shut her eyes, sending a silent apologize to Gyatso's spirit as she prepared for what she was about to do.

Zuko had no time to process her words or even prepare himself for her attack when she suddenly hooked her foot around his ankle and with the help of Airbending, jerked his leg out from under him, sending the both to the metal deck.

The air rushed out of Zuko's lungs in a harsh gasp as he hit the deck and the white-haired girl landed on top him, his grip on her arm and neck loosening enough for her to break free. As soon as she was free, Xiaodan rolled to the side and off the stunned prince. Jumping lithely to her feet, the white-haired girl back away and looked down at the winded young man with wary orange eyes, her hands raised defensively in front of her. Her back stung slightly from landed on his surprisingly firm body, though probably not as much as Zuko's did from landing on the metal deck.

Xiaodan allowed a small smile to quirk the corner of her lips as she watched Zuko get to his feet. His face was pinched and his gold eyes blazed with fury as he turned to face the young woman. He looked like he was about to murder her, and truth be told, Xiaodan wouldn't be surprised if he tried. It seemed like something the angry prince would do to someone who humiliated him like she just did.

Xiaodan shifted on her feet, preparing for the prince's attack and the two began to circle each other guardedly as they moved seamlessly into their bending stances, their eyes locked as they waited for the other to make the first move. They moved at the same time, Xiaodan sending a blade of air at the prince at the same time Zuko sent a crescent of fire at her. The two elemental blades met and exploded, knocking both benders onto their backsides.

"Enough."

Iroh's voice rang out and the two froze in place as they were getting to their feet, Xiaodan on her knees and Zuko in a kneeling position with one hand on the metal deck. The older man walked forward and stood in the space between the two. Iroh smiled and clapped his hands together, looking between the two teens.

"Very well done, Prince Zuko, Miss Xia." He praised, still smiling serenely, with his eyes closed, "Now how about some tea and lunch?"

Zuko palmed his face with a groan and Xiaodan gave Iroh a strange look before giggling quietly. She wondered briefly how he and the grumpy, overly aggressive prince were related as she got to her feet the rest of the way.

* * *

"There it is, guys," Aang said with a grin as he gestured to the massive canyon in front of them, "The Great Divide."

"Wow…" Katara whispered in awe as she stared at the canyon, "I could just stare at it forever."

Sokka stared at the canyon for a moment then spun around, "Okay, I've seen enough."

"How can you not be fascinated, Sokka?" Katara demanded, turning to look at her brother in surprise, "This is the largest canyon in the entire world."

"Then I'm sure we'll be able to see it very clearly from the air while we fly away." Sokka retorted as he tightened Appa's reins then pointed to the air only to pinwheel his arms to keep his balance when someone shoved him from behind.

"Hey, if you're looking for the canyon guide, I was here first!" A man in yellow and robes with a pack on his back exclaimed as he speed-walked over to where Katara and Aang were standing.

"Ooh, canyon guide?" Katara questioned excitedly, clasping her hands under her chin, "Sounds informative."

"Believe me, he's more than a tour guide, he's an Earthbender." The man said, his tone snooty and completely oblivious to the fact that Sokka was mocking him from behind, "And the only way in and out of the canyon is with his help, and he's taking _my _tribe across next."

"Calm down," Sokka drawled with a small smirk as he walked over to his sister and Aang, "We know you're next."

The man glared and pointed his finger at the flippant Water Tribe boy, "You wouldn't be so calm is the Fire Nation destroyed _your _home and forced _you _to flee! My whole tribe has to walk thousands of miles to the capital city of Ba Sing Se."

"You're a refugee!" Katara gasped, her tone sympathetic.

"Huh, tell me something I don't know." The man scoffed, looking off to the side.

Aang and Katara shared a look when their attention was pulled to the path where a large group of people were walking towards them.

"Is that your tribe?" Katara asked with a slight smile on her tanned face.

"It most certain is not!" The man denied angrily, "That's the Zhang tribe, a bunch of low-life thieves. They've been the enemies of my tribe for a hundred years."

The man whistled at the other tribe as they drew closer, "Hey, Zhangs! I'm saving a spot for my tribe, so don't even think about stealing it!"

A robust woman dressed in animal skins with a large sword strapped to her back sneered at the man as she loomed over him, "Where are the rest of Gan Jin? Still tidying up their camp site?"

"Yes," The man snapped back as he leaned away from the woman, "But they sent me ahead of them to hold a spot."

"I didn't know the canyon guide took reservations." Zhang leader mocked and crossed her arms over her chest, a smirk on her face.

"Ha, of course you didn't!" The man scoffed as he glared at the Zhangs in distaste, "That's the ignorance I'd expect from _a messy Zhang_. So unorganized and ill-prepared for a journey."

Katara, Aang, and Sokka looked at each other from their spot off to the side, watching at the Zhang tribe members shouted in protest at the Gan Jin man's words. Katara and Aang shared a worried look but were distracted when a large pile of rocks behind them was levitated up and away, revealing an old man with a bushy white mustache and wearing dirty and stained Earth Kingdom garb.

"Sorry about the wait, youngsters." The old man, obviously the canyon guide said as he gestured towards the now open entrance to The Great Divide, "Now, who's ready to cross this here canyon."

"Uh," Katara stuttered then gestured to the Gan Jin man and the Zhang tribe, "One of them, I think."

The Gan Jin man rushed forward suddenly, "I was here first! My party's on their way."

The canyon guide cocked an eyebrow and looked at the yellow and white robed man, "I can't guide people who aren't here."

"Guess, you guys will have to make the trip tomorrow." The Zhang tribe leader jeered with a smirk as she walked past the fuming man and the three teens.

The Gan Jin man glared at her then he noticed his tribe coming towards them and he pointed excitedly.

"Wait, here they come!"

Katara, Aang, and Sokka watched as a group of clean, finely dressed people, the complete opposite of the dirty, animal-skin wearing Zhangs, walked towards the canyon guide.

"You're not seriously gonna cave into these spoiled Gan Jins?" The Zhang leader demanded, looking at the canyon guide through narrowed eyes, "I mean we're refugees too! And we've got sick people that need shelter!"

"I…uh…well…" the canyon guide stuttered, giving the large woman a wary look as he held his hands up in front of him.

"We've got old people who are weary from traveling!" The Gan Jin man from before retorted from his spot standing next to an older, finely dressed man who was obviously the Gan Jin tribe's leader.

"Sick people get priority over old people!" The Zhang leader snapped back.

"Maybe you Zhangs wouldn't have so many sick people of you weren't such slobs." The Gan Jin leader countered right back.

"If you Gan Jins weren't so clean, you wouldn't live to be so old!"

Off to the side and standing next to Appa, Katara, Aang, and Sokka watched the two tribes argue.

"Well Aang," Katara stated, looking over to the younger boy, "You ready to put your peace-making skills to the test?"

"I don't know," Aang said unsurely, "A fight over chores is one thing, but these people have been feuding for a hundred years."

"You can do it, think about what Xia would do." Katara said encouragingly then stepped forward, raising her voice to be heard over the two arguing tribes, "Everybody listen up! This is the Avatar, and if you give him a change, I'm sure he can come up with a compromise that will make everyone happy."

"Uh…" Aang faltered as the two tribes turned to look at him then he took a deep breath, thinking about how Xia would tell him to follow his gut in this situation, "You could _share _the Earthbender and travel together?"

"Absolutely not!" the Gan Jin leader protested instantly with an outraged look on his face, "We'd rather be taken by the Fire Nation than travel with those stinking thieves!"

"We wouldn't travel with those pompous fools anyway!" The Zhang leader growled as she pointed at the Gan Jin leader and the two tribes began to argue and shout at each other again.

Aang looked between the two tribes for a moment before trying to channel his inner Xiaodan, who was probably one of the least pacifistic Airbenders at the Southern Air Temple.

"Alright!" Aang shouted, grabbing the attention of the two tribes and the Water Tribe siblings, "Here's the deal, you're all going down together and Appa here will fly your sick and elderly across. Does that seem fair?"

The two very different tribe leaders glared at each other then looked back at Aang, nodding their heads in agreement. Aang breathed a sigh of relief and mentally thanks his sister and her sometimes brash personality.

* * *

"Sorry, Appa, you'll have to do this on your own." Aang apologized to the large bison as he rubbed his head after the two tribes' sick and elderly had been helped into Appa's saddle.

"Aang, this feuding tribe stuff is serious business." Sokka commented as he walked over to where the Airbender and his sister were standing in front of the bison, "Are you sure it's a good idea getting involved in this?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure." Aang stated with a huge grin, "But when have I ever been? Besides, Xia would have wanted to help them anyway."

"He's the Avatar, Sokka," Katara piped in, placing her hand on Aang's shoulder, "Making peace between people is his job."

"His job's gonna make us cross this whole canyon on foot isn't it?" Sokka asked glumly with his shoulders slumped sadly.

Aang just smiled then looked over when the canyon guide began speaking, his voice raised so all of them could hear him.

"Okay, now comes the bad news." The canyon guide called out, "No food allowed in the canyon, it attracts dangerous predators."

Both tribes cried out in protest but the canyon guide gave them a stern look that silenced them, his hands on his hips.

"Aw, you babies can't go a day without food?" He asked sarcastically then Earthbender a pillar of rock up underneath his feet, "Would you rather be hungry, or dead? Now, we're heading down in ten minutes. All food better be in your gut or in the garbage!"

The Zhang tribe began to shovel food into their mouths quickly while the Gan Jins ate their food slowly with chopsticks. Aang blinked then jumped onto Appa's head, addressing the sick and elderly members of both tribes.

"Appa's going to take good care of you 'till we get there." He said then jumped down and spoke to the bison, "See you on the other side, buddy! Yip-yip!"

Appa roared and took off into the sky with the sick and elderly, heading across the canyon.

* * *

Xiaodan sipped the jasmine tea Iroh had served, her orange eyes warily watching Zuko sitting across from her over the rip of the teacup. Iroh had forced both teens to sit down and eat lunch with him. The prince was glaring at her from across the table, his clenched fists resting on the table top and untouched cup of tea steaming by his left fist.

"You really should drink your tea, Prince Zuko," Iroh advised serenely from the head of the low table, "Before it gets cold."

"I don't want any tea, Uncle!" Zuko snapped, tearing his burning golden gaze away from Xiaodan to glare at his uncle, "I need to capture the Avatar!"

Xiaodan scowled and flicked a piece of fruit at the prince, pinging him in the head with it then smiled innocently and took a sip of her tea when he turned his head to glower at her.

"You irritating, obnoxious, disrespectful—"

"Prince Zuko." Iroh chided gently, cutting the prince off mid-insult and he gave his nephew a reproving look.

"I've had enough of this!" Zuko growled and jumped to his feet, stomping out of the room they had been dining in a fit of anger.

Xiaodan watched the scarred prince storm away then looked back at Iroh who was sipping calmly at his cup of tea.

"He really needs to learn to lighten up before his little firebug head explodes."

Iroh made a noise of amused agreement around the bite of fish he had just put in his mouth. Xiaodan smiled slightly and started in on the fruit and vegetables on her plate.

* * *

"Okay, everyone stand clear of the wall." The canyon guide called out after he, the two tribes, Aang, Katara, and Sokka had reached the bottom of the canyon next to a large boulder.

The large group watched as the canyon guide Earthbended the large boulder up into the air and launched it at the bridge he had made on their way down to the canyon floor.

"Why'd you do that?" Aang asked curiously, ignoring the wall of dirt behind the Earthbender.

"These people are fleeing the Fire Nation, aren't they?" The canyon guide asked rhetorically as he dusted his hands off, "Gotta make sure we can't be followed. We'll be safe now."

The canyon guide screamed suddenly when a large creature hiding in the cloud of dirt suddenly snatched him up. Aang scowled slightly and swung his staff, clearing the cloud of dirt with Airbending which revealed a large creature holding the guide by the back of his shirt in its mouth.

"We gotta help him!" Sokka shouted as he rushed forward and threw his boomerang, hitting the monster in the head.

The creature tossed the canyon guide away and began chasing after Sokka.

"Okay, now we gotta help me!" Sokka screamed as he ran up then down a small hill just as Katara raced towards him.

The dark-haired girl pulled water from her canteen and smacked the creature in the face with the water whip. The creature snarled and snapped his long jaws at her, causing Katara to lunge to the side with a cry. Aang suddenly dropped down in front of the creature and slammed his staff down lengthwise, knocking the creature back with a strong blast of air.

The creature got to its feet and started to charge towards Aang, but the young Airbender pointed his staff at the creature and began to twirl it around until a large funnel was created and began spinning the creature in around. Aang continued to spin the creature then pulled up the funnel of air with the creature still trapped at the end of the funnel and bashed the creature against the canyon wall. The air funnel dissipated and the group watched as the creature disappeared into a crevice in the canyon wall.

"What was that?" Aang asked as he turned to look at the canyon guide lying on the ground where the monster had thrown him with Katara gently holding his arms.

"Canyon crawler." The guide replied then groaned in pain, "And there's sure to be more!"

"Your arms," Katara gasped as she looked at the canyon guide's arms, "They're broken!"

"Without my arms, I got no bending," The Earthbender groaned, his head tossing about, "In other words—"

"We're trapped in this canyon…" Aang finished with wide eyes.

* * *

"I thought the whole point of ditching our food was so we wouldn't have to deal with things like canyon crawlers." Sokka complained as Katara splinted the canyon guide's arms to the best of her abilities.

"It's the Zhangs!" The Gan Jin leader accused, pointing at the other tribe, "They took food down here even after the canyon guide told them not to!"

"What?!" The Zhang leader snapped angrily, "If there's anyone who can't go without food for a day, it's you pampered Gan Jins!"

"I hope you happy." The Gan Jin leader continued harshly, "We're stuck in this canyon with no way out."

"Why don't you thank yourself, food hider?" The Zhang leader retorted, her tone just as harsh.

"Look, sticking together is the only way to-" Aang started in an attempt to pacify the two tribes but was cut off.

"I'm not walking another step with the likes of them!" The Zhang leader snarled aggressively.

"Now that's something we can agree on." The Gan Jin leader sneered as he crossed his arms.

Aang sighed and turned to look at the canyon guide, "Any ideas?"

"No bending…we need to get out of this canyon…" The canyon guide mumbled, practically delusional with fear, "I won't die down here! I won't become part of the food chain!"

"See!" The Gan Jin leader exclaimed as he pointed at the Zhangs, "We're going to become part of the food chain because of you!"

"Sure, unjustly blame the Zhangs like you always do!" The Zhang leader growled, furious at the Gan Jin's accusations.

"Gladly." The Gan Jin leader said smugly.

"Enough!" Aang shouted angrily, a strong gust of wind grabbing the two tribes' attentions before dying down, "I thought I could help you guys get along, but I guess that's not gonna happen."

Aang jumped onto a tall rock that split the path out of The Great Divide in half.

"We should split up, Gan Jins on this side," Aang called out, pointing to one side of the tall rock with his staff then the other side, "And Zhangs on that side. We'll travel in two separate lines."

The two tribe leaders nodded at each other with a glare then began walking down their individual paths. Aang jumped down and landed in front of the two Water Tribe siblings.

"Sokka, you go with the Zhangs and Katara, you go with the Gan Jins." He stated as Momo landed on his shoulder, "See if you can find out why they hate each other so much."

Katara and Sokka nodded in agreement then split up, both heading towards the tribe assigned to them while Aang helped the canyon guide to his feet.

* * *

"So, you guys aren't going to put up your tarps?" Sokka asked the Zhang leader after they had stopped to make camp when the sun began to set.

"What for? It's the dry season." The robust woman replied matter-of-factly with a slight smirk as finished setting up her tent.

"Exactly!" Sokka exclaimed, tossing his hands in the air.

"Besides," The Zhang leader continued, looking over her shoulder at Sokka, "We like to use the tarp as a blanket."

"Finally, someone gets it!" Sokka sighed happily, a smile on his face.

* * *

"You really think it'll rain?" Katara questioned, looking at the Gan Jin leader curiously after seeing two of tribe members set up the tarp over their tent.

"No," The Gan Jin leader replied, "but you can never be too careful."

Katara up at the older man happily and nodded her head in agreement.

* * *

Katara sat around the Gan Jin camp fire and looked around briefly before straighten her back when she saw how perfect the tribe's posture was. She saw the Gan Jin leader glance over his shoulder at the Zhang campfire yards away then he pulled a piece of bread out his sleeve. Katara gasped in surprise and looked around, seeing all the other tribe members doing the same thing.

"Would you care for some bread, Katara?" The Gan Jin leader asked politely, holding out a piece of bread.

"So it was you guys who had food!" Katara stated, looking at him in shock.

"Oh come now, you really think that tribe of thieves isn't smuggling food?" The Gan Jin asked rhetorically as he looked over at the other camp then back at Katara, "Why should my people go hungry when the sneaky Zhangs are stuffing their faces?"

Katara hesitated a moment then nodded.

"Well, I guess it's okay if everyone's doing it." She stated, taking the offered bread and taking a bite, "So, why does your tribe hate the Zhangs so much?"

"You seem like a smart girl, Katara, I bet you would enjoy hearing some history." The Gan Jin leader said then began to explain, "The patriarch of our tribe, Jin Wei, was an Earthbender warrior who was assigned an important duty; transporting our sacred orb from the great eastern gate to the great western gate. Taking the orb from the east to the west represents the sun's rising and setting. It was our tribe's ancient redemption ritual. But as he approached the gate, Jin Wei was attacked by one of the Zhang, a vermin named Wei Jin, who looked at the orb with envy. That coward Wei Jin knocked Jin Wei to the ground, and stole our sacred orb."

The Gan Jin's eyes narrowed as he spoke, "Our people have never forgotten. You can never trust a Zhang."

Katara's face pinched into a scowl and she glared over her shoulder at the Zhang camp where her brother was.

* * *

"Care for some meat?" The Zhang leader asked, holding out the leg of meat that she had just pulled out of a back to Sokka as she and her tribe sat around the fire.

"Would I!" Sokka exclaimed, taking the meat and tearing into it hungrily.

"I know what you must be thinking, we're horrible for endangering everybody by bringing food down here." The Zhang leader stated, actually sounding a little regretful as she looked at the hungry Water Tribe boy.

"Hm-hmm." Sokka muttered, only half paying attention to the robust woman's words.

"The Gan Jin think so badly of us, they probably assumed we brought food in and decided to bring food in themselves." She explained, "That's why we brought food in."

Sokka made a noise as he continued to eat the meat, watching the Zhang leader as she looked over to the Gan Jin camp with a glower.

"Our conflict with the Gan Jin goes back over a hundred years." She started to explain, her face turning into a scowl, "Our forefather Wei Jin was leaving the western gate of our village, when he saw a figure in the distance. It was a man of the Gan Jin tribe, Jin Wei, collapsed on the ground. Noble Wei Jin stopped to help him. Jin Wei was transporting a sacred orb, a very powerful relic used in his tribe's redemption ritual. Wei Jin tried to tend to the man's wounds but Jin Wei insisted the orb was more important, and asked him to take it back to his tribe. Kind Wei Jin promised to send help for the man as soon as he could, but Wei Jin crossed the border to return the orb into Gan Jin territory, he was arrested. Instead of thanking him for his kind and selfless deed, they sentenced him to twenty long years in prison."

The Zhang leader glowered at the Gan Jin camp then looked over at Sokka, "The Zhangs will never forget that injustice."

"That's terrible." Sokka stated then looked at the piece of meat in the woman's hand, "You gonna finish that?"

The Zhang leader took a large bite of the meat and Sokka pouted, his shoulders slumped sadly.

* * *

Sure would be nice to be sitting around one of those campfires, telling stories and laughing. Or at least have Xia here with me." Aang murmured, resting against a rock on a small cliff in the canyon and looking at the two campfires a couple yards away with Momo at his side, "It's okay, Momo, we'll be out of here soon enough, and then we can eat our weight in leechi nuts!"

Momo jumped up into the air and snatched a bug from the air, eating half of it then offering the other half to Aang.

The Airbender grimaced slightly and shook his head, "Nah, I'll wait for the leechi nuts."

"Lonely isn't it," The canyon guide started as he slowly hobbled over to Aang and Momo, "being impartial?"

"I wish I could help these people get along, but it just seems impossible." Aang replied after he had turned to face the injured Earthbender, "Anyhow, I guess our biggest problem is getting out of here."

"I'm not so sure the two problems are unrelated." The canyon guide stated as he sat down beside Aang and leaned his back against the rocks the young Avatar had been leaning on a few moments ago.

Aang looked away sadly as the canyon guide rested his chin against his chest so that his straw hat covered his eyes.

Aang sighed and looked out at the canyon where the two tribes had made camp, "I wish you were here, Xia. You'd know what to do to make these people get along."

* * *

Zuko stood on the observation deck attached to the bridge of the command tower and glared down at the top deck of his ship where the annoying Airbender girl was playing Pai Sho with his uncle. He didn't understand how his uncle could stand being around the irritating girl, she was defiant, cheeky, and far too mischievous. If she wasn't pushing his temper's limits, she was refusing to answer his questions about the Avatar's location and where he was headed. It was driving him insane.

"Stupid girl." Zuko growled lowly to himself when he saw her throw her hands up and her cheer of victory at winning another game against his uncle.

"Prince Zuko, we are running low on supplies." Lieutenant Jee reported as he walked onto the observation deck and stood slightly behind the banished prince with his hands clasped behind his back.

Zuko's unscarred eye narrowed and he continued to stare down at the deck, watching as the smart-mouthed girl below began spinning her Pai Sho tiles inside a small sphere of air that spun rapidly between her palms.

"Prince Zuko?"

"Set a course for the nearest harbor." Zuko ordered without looking away from his uncle and his white-haired 'prisoner.'

Lieutenant Jee nodded sharply and turned on his heel to inform the helmsman to change course, leaving the prince to his spying.

* * *

Xiaodan laughed happily as she manipulated the air currents and Airbended her Pai Sho tiles around her head after Iroh had asked her to demonstrate her bending for him.

"That is most impressive, Miss Xia." Iroh praised, watching the pieces twirl through the air in admiration, "Most impressive indeed."

Xiaodan smiled and brought the Pai Sho tiles back around her head, letting the hang in front of her face for a moment before they dropped into her waiting palm.

"Thank you, Iroh." She said modestly, with a slight bow of her head, "Monk Gyatso taught me how to do that when I was first learning how to play Pai Sho. He said it would make the learning experience more fun."

"Was he right?" Iroh questioned, genuinely curious about the young woman's life before the War.

"Of course." The white-haired girl stated, smiling softly as she reminisced about her guardian, "It was rare for Monk Gyatso to be wrong about anything, especially when it involved teaching and fun."

Iroh smiled serenely at her, "He sound like a very wise man."

"Yes, he was." Xiaodan murmured in agreement, bowing her head slightly, "He passed on much of his wisdom to Aang and me, although I was often too hardheaded to see that. I miss him very much."

Iroh gently touched the young woman's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze of reassurance before pulling away and started to arrange his Pai Sho tiles.

"How about another round of Pai Sho?" He asked, expertly changing the subject, "Perhaps this time I will beat you."

Xiaodan smiled, thankful for Iroh's kindness and compassion, something that reminded her a lot of Monk Gyatso which was probably the reason she got along so well with him.

"In your dreams, old man."

* * *

"All clear," The canyon guide called out to the two tribes from the rock formation he and Aang were walking on above the two tribes, "We're almost to the other side."

Aang jumped down from the rock formation and landed between the two siblings while the Gan Jin and the Zhangs walked past them.

"Katara, Sokka, will these people cooperate long enough to get out of the canyon?" He asked almost desperately.

"I don't think so, Aang." Katara replied, giving the Zhang tribe a distrusting side glance, "The Zhangs really wronged the Gan Jins. They ambushed Jin Wei and stole the sacred orb."

"What are you talking about?" Aang asked, looking at the dark-haired girl confusion.

"Yeah Katara, what are you talking about?" Sokka demanded from Aang's other side, "Wei Jin didn't steal the orb, he was returning it to their village gate and was wrongfully punished by the Gan Jin."

"Not punished enough if you ask me." Katara retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and giving her brother a dirty look.

"Okay, okay I get it!" Aang exclaimed exasperatedly over Sokka's frustrated growls, "Now, I need your help, let's get everyone together at the base of the canyon wall."

He took off on his glider, heading towards the base of the canyon wall where he landed between the two tribes.

"Please everyone, as soon as we get out of here we can eat and then go our separate ways, but I need you all to put your heads together and figure a way up this cliff." Aang called out, silencing the tribes' grumblings.

"Maybe the Zhangs could climb the wall with their long disgusting fingernails." The Gan Jin leader taunted harshly.

"Oh sorry," The Zhang leader apologized sarcastically, "I forgot that to the Gan Jin unclipped fingernails is a crime punishable by twenty years in jail!"

"Why, you dirty thief!"

"You pompous fool!"

Aang looked back-and-forth between the two tribes indecisively as they began to argue loudly with each other, along with Katara and Sokka.

'_Think like Xia.'_ Aang thought to himself then took a deep breath and shouted loudly.

"Guys, focus! How many times do I have to say it? Harsh words won't solve problems, action will!"

"Perhaps the Avatar is right." The Zhang leader mused, looking towards the Gan Jin leader.

"Yes, perhaps he is." The Gan Jin leader agreed slowly and Aang grinned happily.

"Harsh words will _never _solve our problems." The Zhang leader stated coldly.

"Action will!" The Gan Jin leader finished and both tribe leaders pulled out their swords.

Their swords clashed together, the metal clanging loudly and Aang yelped in surprise since the weapons had hit each other only a foot or so in front of him.

"To the death!" The Gan Jin leader exclaimed as he and Zhang leader pulled apart, "And let this be the end of this rivalry!'

"You know, I take it back!" Aang stated worriedly as he gestured wildly with one hand, "Harsh words aren't so bad!"

The Zhang leader and the Gan Jin leader ignored him and began to fight, slashing and dodging while their tribe watched from the sidelines. The two tribe leaders were evenly matched, getting caught in a brief stalemate before shoving each other away. The Zhang leader smirked when the lower half of the Gan Jin leader's beard fell to the ground before gasping quietly when one of her pigtails fell off a moment later. The two growled and charged towards each other only to get knocked off their feet when Aang blew them apart by slamming his staff down on the ground. The gust of air was so strong that it knocked the rest of the tribe members back a few feet as well, spilling the contents of their packs all over the canyon floor, revealing a large amount of hidden food.

"Is that…food?" Aang asked, staring at the food on the ground in shock before turning angry eyes towards the two tribes, "Everyone smuggled food down here? Unbelievable! You guys put our lives in danger because you couldn't go without a snack for a day? You're all awful!"

Aang paused in his rant when he saw a custard tart on the ground and his stomach growled, "So hungry. Is that an egg custard in that tart?"

A noise grabbed his attention and he looked over his shoulder, shouting in surprise when he saw dozens of canyon crawlers coming towards them. The two tribes plus Sokka and Katara cried out in fear and all of them tried to flee. Sokka and Katara dodged behind a large rock, looking at the large amount of canyon crawlers.

"Oh no," Katara gasped as she looked at the creatures, "That's a lot of canyon crawlers."

"We barely survived one!" Sokka squeaked as he pulled out his boomerang.

"They're coming back for me!" The canyon guide cried out as he shuffled backwards, oblivious to the weird looks the Water Tribe siblings were giving him as he past, "They've had a taste and they're coming back for me."

Sokka started to run forward but Katara grabbed his arm.

"Sokka, wait!" She exclaimed as she held him in place until he looked at her then she let his arm go, "I don't care about this stupid feud, I just want us to get out of here alive."

"Me too." Sokka admitted, looking at the ground briefly before giving his sister a slightly sheepish look, "I only took their side 'cause they fed me."

Katara nodded once and the two siblings raced out from behind the rock, running towards where Aang was trying to fend of the canyon crawlers with Airbending, a large pile of them already off to the side slightly.

The canyon crawlers rolled to their feet, shaking their heads and growling then charged towards the two tribes of refugees. Katara, Aang, Sokka, the Gan Jin leader, and the Zhang leader all tried to fend off the crawlers but they were vastly outnumbered and were beginning to lose as more and more canyon crawlers seemed to appear.

Aang twirled his staff above his head and knocked back a couple of crawlers that had surrounded him. He looked around him, seeing how many of the crawlers had the Gan Jins and the Zhangs cornered when he noticed a couple of the canyon crawlers eating the hidden food out of the bags and an idea came to him.

"Everyone!" Aang shouted, catching the two tribes' attentions as he dropped his staff and grabbed one of the bags of food from the ground, "Watch me and do as I do!"

Aang jumped towards a group of the crawlers and tossed a piece of food at one, grabbing its attention and it charged towards him. Aang held the food bag open, the canyon crawler running its snout right into it and Aang flipped over onto its back, using the bags drawstrings as makeshift reins. The two tribes looked at each other then rushed to do as the young Avatar had done, many catching working as a team to catch until everyone was sitting on a canyon crawler.

"Now follow me!" Aang shouted after tying a back of food onto the end of his staff, "We're riding out of this hole!"

Aang waved the large bag of food at the canyon crawlers then turned the crawler he was riding towards the canyon wall, using the food bag as a lure. The canyon crawlers began scaling the wall rapidly, following the scent of food as Aang guided them up the wall until they reached the top.

"Everyone, get off!" Aang yelled, jumping off his canyon crawler and running away as the others jumped off their crawlers and the large creatures began running after him.

"We made it!" The Zhang leader gasped in amazement after she and the Gan Jin leader had jumped off the canyon crawler they had ridden.

As soon as everyone was safely off the canyon crawlers, Aang swung his staff around until the large bag of food flew off back into the canyon, the bag opening so that the food flew through the air and the canyon crawlers followed after it eagerly.

The Zhang leader shook her head in amazement, looking at the Gan Jin leader in surprise, "I never thought a Gan Jin could get his hands dirty like that."

"And I never knew you Zhangs were so reliable in a pinch." The Gan Jin leader replied, just as amazed.

"Perhaps we're not so different after all." The Zhang leader stated and the two tribe leaders smiled at each other, causing Aang to sigh in relief.

"Too bad we can't rewrite history. You thieves stole our sacred orb from Jin Wei!" the Gan Jin leader said and unsheathed his sword, pointing it at the Zhang leader.

"You tyrants unjustly imprisoned Wei Jin for twenty long years!" The Zhang leader shouted, drawing her own sword.

Aang groaned then sighed in frustration at the two tribes' persistence to hold onto this feud.

"Wait a second… Jin Wei? Wei Jin?" He mumbled then looked at the two tribe leaders excitedly, "I know those guys!"

"Yes, yes, we're all aware of the story." The Gan Jin leader snapped in exasperation.

"No, I mean I really _knew _them." Aang clarified then began to explain, "I might not look it, but I'm a hundred and twelve years old. I was there one hundred years ago on the day you're talking about. There seems to be a lot of confusion about what happened. First of all, Jin Wei and Wei Jin weren't enemies. They were brothers, twins in fact, and they were eight, and most importantly they were just playing a game! The sacred orb from the legend that was the ball! And the eastern and western gates were the goal posts. Jin Wei had the ball and was running towards the goal when he fell and fumbled it. Wei Jin didn't steal the ball, he picked it up and started running it toward the other goal, but he stepped out of bounds, so the official put him in the penalty box. Not for twenty long yers, but for two short minutes."

Aang took a deep breath and finished his explanation, "There was no stealing and no putting anyone in prison, it was just a game."

"You're saying the sacred orb was actually a sacred ball?" the Zhang leader asked skeptically, her eyebrow quirked.

"Nope, just a regular ball." Aang replied with a grin.

"What about our tribe's redemption ritual?" One Gan Jin man asked, peeking around his tribe's leader.

"That's what the game was called, redemption." Aang responded easily, "As soon as you got the ball from one end to the other, everyone would yell 'redemption!'"

The Gan Jin leader and the Zhang leader exchanged doubtfully looks and Aang hurried to assure them.

"Don't get me wrong, Wei Jin was kind of a slob and Jin Wei was a little stuffy, that much is true. But they respected each other's differences enough to share the same playing field."

The two tribe leaders turned to look at each other.

"I suppose it's time we forget the past." The Zhang leader stated and the Gan Jin leader bowed to her.

"And look to the future." He stated and the Zhang leader bowed back.

Aang looked between the two leaders and smiled happily.

* * *

Aang hugged Appa's head happily after the sky bison had landed and the sick and elderly had been helped from his sadly.

"Good to see you boy." Aang said with a grin, "Did you miss me?"

Appa opened his mouth and licked Aang with his huge tongue, lifting the young Airbender off his feet slightly just as the Gan Jin leader approached.

"I cannot thank you enough, Avatar." The Gan Jin leader stated gratefully.

"Well, you know, I try." Aang said as he turned around with a sheepish smile and covered in bison slobber.

"Ugh!" The Gan Jin leader recoiled in disgust and walked back to where the two tribes were standing.

"Let us travel to the Earth Kingdom capital as one tribe." The Zhang leader called out as she stood in front of the two tribes with the Gan Jin leaders and the two tribes cheered happily then began walking down the path.

"I'm going too!" The canyon guide cried out as he hurried after the now singular tribe, "I'm sick of this place!"

Sokka, Katara, and Aang watched as the tribe walked away then Sokka turned to look at Aang with appreciation.

"That's some luck you knew Jin Wei and Wei Jin." He stated with a grin, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You could call it luck." Aang said with a mischievous grin as he turned to face the two Water Tribe siblings, "Or you could call it lying."

"What?" Sokka questioned, completely flabbergasted as he looked at Aang in shock.

"I made the whole thing up."

"You did not." Katara stated in shock, then her tone changed to devilish admiration, "That is so wrong."

"It's what Xia would have done." Aang said with a grin then looked around, "Now where is that egg custard tart? I'm starving!"

* * *

Xiaodan sat cross-legged in her cabin on Zuko's ship, her eyes shut and her hands resting on her knees as she meditated. She had been locked in a few hours ago after the ship had docked at a harbor to stock up on supplies. Apparently, Zuko didn't trust her not to escape so she had been locked in her cabin much to Iroh's chagrin.

She had been furious at first and vowed to prank the grumpy prince at the first opportunity then began plotting the best way to get back at Zuko for locking her in an enclosed space for an extended period of time. After that had grown tiresome, Xiaodan had begun to meditate and settled into a state of Zen.

At least she was until the heavy metal door to her cabin was thrown open by the grouchy Prince Zuko with Iroh trailing slightly behind him. Xiaodan gave a surprised squeal and jumped in surprise, her arms flailing a moment before she fell backwards. She grunted when a bunch of fabric was dropped on stunned her face.

Zuko pressed his lips into a thin line in an attempt to suppress the smirk that wanted to appear as he watched the white-haired girl flounder about on the floor for a few moments before she managed to get the bundle of clothes he'd dropped on her off her face.

"What was that for, you jerk?!" She demanded as she got to her feet then looked at the clothing clutched in her hand, "And what are these for."

"Put that on and get rid of your other clothing." Zuko ordered as he turned around to leave, passing his uncle on his way out of the door, "We can't have someone recognizing you as an Airbender because of your clothing."

Xiaodan balled up the clothing and tossed it at him, hitting the prince in the back of the head. Zuko paused and Xiaodan saw his hands clench at his sides before he continued to walk away without looking back.

Iroh picked the clothing up from the floor and walked into the room, watching the white-haired girl glowered at the open door with her arms crossed over her chest as she mumbled darkly under her breath.

"I am _not _changing my clothes." She grumbled, her lower lip jutting out in a pout as she sat heavily on her sleeping mat, "I refuse."

Iroh gave her a kind smile as he placed the clothing beside her.

"I'm afraid that if you wish to be able to leave the ship whenever we dock, you must wear these." He stated softly, "I am sorry."

Xiaodan glared at the clothes for a moment, her arms still crossed tightly over her chest before they fell to her lap and her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"But why?" She whined pathetically, picking up the top and her nose scrunched up in distaste at the dark coloring.

"Like Prince Zuko said, we can't have anyone recognizing you as an Airbender from your clothes. They might-"

"They might think I'm the Avatar and try to kidnap me or save me." Xiaodan finished for him with a sigh as she let the shirt drop back to the bed and gave the older man a weak smile, "It's alright, Iroh, I understand. I don't like it, but I understand."

"Good!" Iroh exclaimed and clapped his hands together then turned to leave, "Now why don't you change to see how they fit. I picked out the outfit so I hope it fits and after you've changed you can come to the galley for dinner."

Xiaodan made a noise of agreement and waved her hand as Iroh left her cabin, closing the door behind him. She gave the clothing the evil eye for a few moments then huffed in irritation and began to reluctantly change into the dark colored shirt and pants.

* * *

Zuko sat at the table in the galley with his uncle with his customary scowl in place as they waited for the prisoner to arrive.

"Why are we waiting, Uncle?" Zuko demanded after a few more minutes of waiting, "We should not have to wait for a prisoner to arrive before we eat!"

"Because, Prince Zuko, it is the polite thing to do." Iroh intoned then took a sip of his tea, ignoring the deepening scowl on his nephew's face.

A smile lit up Iroh's face when he noticed the white-haired girl he had befriended making her way towards them.

"Look, Prince Zuko." Iroh stage-whispered and nudged his nephew with his elbow then gestured to Xiaodan as she walked towards their table near the back of the galley, "Doesn't she look nice?"

Zuko shifted away from the elbow digging into his ribs and scowled at his uncle, "What are you talking-"

The prince paused and stared when he caught sight of the white-haired girl just as the stopped in front of them. The formfitting, sleeveless shirt dark red with a darker brown trim that went down to her knees with small slits in the side that went up to her just below her hips, while her pants were the same darker brown color as the shirt's trim and her feet were bare.

"You look very nice, my dear." Iroh complimented then gestured to the seat across from Zuko, "Please sit, have some tea."

"Thank you, Iroh." Xiaodan said sincerely as she sat cross-legged on the floor pillow and picked up the steaming cup of tea Iroh had just poured for her, she completely ignored the stunned prince sitting across from her.

A small, mischievous smile appeared on Iroh's face before he schooled his face into an innocent expression and turned to his flabbergasted nephew.

"Doesn't Xia look nice, Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked innocently, although inside he was laughing boisterously, especially when Xiaodan gave him a dirty look over the rim of her teacup.

Zuko blinked, then shook his head and cleared his throat as he came out of his brief stupor, looking away from the white-haired girl and at his plate of food.

"Well?" Iroh prodded, stifling his gleeful smile as a very, very faint blush appeared on the scarred prince's cheeks, "Doesn't she?"

"Er…Yes, she looks nice, Uncle." Zuko muttered at last, poking at his food with his chopsticks and not looking up at the molten orange eyes he could feel staring a hole in his head.

"Thank you…" Xiaodan stated politely, "That's very kindof you to say…Prince Firebug."

Zuko's head jerked up and he glowered at her, "Don't call me that!"

"What? It's not _my _fault you're a glowing, fiery insect!"

"You're lucky I haven't had you tossed overboard, Airbending pest!"

Iroh sighed quietly and sipped at his tea as he watched the two teens fling insults at each other.

"Children…" He muttered and took another sip of his tea, closing his eyes in an attempt to block out Zuko and Xiaodan.

* * *

**Author's Note: Oh my god, I am so sorry this is kind of late. This chapter was killer to write, seriously my brain wants to implode on itself from thinking about the best way to write this. Anyhooties, I hope this chapter is okay because I put some serious effort into trying to make this episode awesome. Next chapter will take place during Season 1 Episode 12: The Storm and it should be posted on Monday, so stay tuned for that! That episode is one of my favorites of the first season since we get to see some of Aang's past and we also get to see that Zuko has a reason for being a dickwad to everyone. **

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys rock and I love you in a totally unweirdo way!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Toxicswallow: **Thank you! I hope you like this chapter!

**Shadow Realm Triforce: **Thanks, I'm glad you like this story and I hope you like this chapter too!

**Vicky Lexi Bennet: **Haha, of course! I always try to reply to my reviewers at the end of each chapter. Haha, actually the only ship-names I could come up with were Xiako and Zudan, which are pretty horrible in my opinion. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this chapter too!

**Molly Grace 16: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Iroh always kind of reminded me of Gyatso in a way, so I figured that Xiaodan would be able to relate to Iroh in a similar way she related to Gyatso, sort of a father/uncle like figure. Ugh, the Great Divide is right up there with Imprisoned when it comes to sucky episodes, seriously my brain hurts from trying to find a way to insert Xia into the story. Anyhooties, I hope you liked the Xia/Zuko interactions in this chapter!

**Anonymous Guest: **Thank you!

**Ambrosia Maestro: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you like this one too!

**88dragon06: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Phew, I was worried that the canon characters might be OOC but I'm glad you didn't think so. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Nah, Zuko can be a dick but he's not _that _much of a dick. He has a heart it's just really, really deep down somewhere hidden in a black hole. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Dream lighting: **Don't worry, Xia and Aang will be reunited though it won't be for some time. Yeah, Zuko is a jerk but he gets better the more time he and Xia spend time together. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!


	13. Chapter 13:The Storm

**AN: Chapter 13 takes place during Season 1 Episode 12: The Storm, this is one of my favorite season 1 episodes because we get to have peek at Aang and Zuko's pasts, which is awesome! Various POVs as usually, so enjoy lovelies!**

**PS – **_'Dreams/Thoughts/Memories'_

* * *

'_Aang smiled happily riding Appa alongside Sokka flying on his glider with Xiaodan on her glider next to him while Katara rode on a giant Momo on Aang's others side._

"_We need you, Aang." Katara said, her voice ringing out slightly and Aang smiled over at her._

"_I need you too." He said then his eyes widened in horror as the clear sky darkened and ugly gray storm clouds surrounded them._

"_Be careful, guys!" Aang shouted worriedly, then looked around in confusion, "Guys?"_

_His heartbeat quickened when he saw that Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan had disappeared. Aang looked towards the rapidly approaching storm clouds and blinked when Gyatso suddenly appeared, floating in front of him._

"_Gyatso?" He questioned, his confusion growing as he looked at his old mentor and father-figure._

"_Why did you disappear?" Gyatso's voice rang out, the tone questioning and sad._

"_I didn't mean too." Aang replied regretfully, dropping Appa's reins and reaching out to Gyatso only for him to dissipate into black smoke and Aang covered his eyes with his arms._

"_We need you, Aang." Gyatso's voice rang out again just as Appa flew into the black storm clouds._

_Aang screamed as he clutched Appa's reins, his eyes closed tightly against the blinding rain when lightning flashed across the sky. He screamed again as plummeted into the water with Appa, the sound of another screaming blending with his own for a moment before Aang was completely submerged under the roiling ocean. Appa's reins slipped from his hand as blackness crept around his vision as unconsciousness began to drag him under just like the ocean was doing._

"_We need you, Aang." Multiple voices that sound like Katara, Sokka, Xiaodan, Gyatso and many others filled his ears as he sank further into the water, "We need you!"_

_Lighting flashed again, revealing the dark silhouette of the Fire Lord and-'_

Aang gasped and jerked awake, sitting up so quickly that he startled Momo into jumping off him and onto Katara then Sokka. Katara sat up with a gasp followed by Sokka who was holding his bone-jaw knife and boomerang.

"What's going on?" Sokka asked sleepily as he looked around, his knife and boomerang in hand, "Did we get captured again?"

"It's nothing." Aang said quickly, trying to reassure his friends as he curled up on the ground with his back to the siblings, "I just had a bad dream. Go back to sleep."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Sokka mumbled as he laid back down.

Katara frowned slightly at her brother before looking over at Aang's back with concern.

"Are you alright, Aang?" She asked softly, her voice compassionate.

"I'm okay." Aang replied, curling up even tighter in a ball.

"You seem to be having a lot of nightmares lately." She persisted, "You want to tell me about it?"

"I think I just need rest." Aang said softly, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again to stare at the sandy ground beneath him.

"You guys wanna hear about my dream?" Sokka asked excitedly as he sat up, only to pout and lay back down when Katara glared at him, "That's okay. I didn't want to talk about it anyway."

Katara looked at Aang worriedly for another moment before lying back down and going to sleep herself. Aang curled into a tighter ball and closed his eyes tightly, desperately wishing Xiaodan was there to comfort him. He could really use one of her hugs right now, especially after _**that**_dream.

* * *

"Aang!" Xiaodan cried out as she jerked awake and she clutched her shirt tightly in her fist, right above her heart.

She looked around widely with her chest heaving as sweat slicked her brow, forgetting momentarily where she was. As her heart began to slow and her breathing returned to normal, Xiaodan brought her hands up to rub the sleep from her eyes only to freeze when she felt wetness on her cheeks.

The white-haired girl touched her cheek gently with one hand then pulled it back, staring in surprise at the teardrop glisten on her fingertips. Carelessly, Xiaodan wiped at her eyes with the back of her hands until the tears stopped coming then she folded her hands in her lap and stared blankly into the darkness surrounding her.

She couldn't remember her dream exactly, just an overwhelming sense of terror, sorrow and regret. She also didn't know why she had called out her brother's name, but she speculated her that her dream had something to do with him and it worried her greatly. Along with the worry for Aang came the feeling of loss as she was forcefully reminded that she was not with her brother, but on some grouchy, banished Fire Nation prince's ship.

"Aang, please be okay…" She whispered sadly as she laid back down and shut her eyes tight, a few more tears slipping from the corners.

* * *

Appa yawned widely and placed his head back on the sandy beach, covering his eyes with his front paws.

"Look at those clear skies, buddy." Aang commented to the bison as sat on Appa's head and gestured at the beautiful blue sky, "Should be smooth flying."

Katara looked inside a blue bag then dumped it upside down but only crumbs fells out, which Momo quickly gobbled up with a happy chitter.

"Well, we better smoothly fly ourselves to a market, 'cause we're out of food." Katara stated as she walked up Appa's tail which he lifted for her as she climbed into the saddle where Sokka was tying their supplies down.

"Guys, wait." Sokka stated, pausing what he was doing and holding up his hands then turning to look at Katara and Aang, "This was in my dream. We shouldn't go to the market."

Katara and Aang paused what they were doing to look at Sokka curiously.

"What happened in your dream?" Katara asked, sounding slightly exasperated.

"Food eats people!" Sokka exclaimed as he made a face and held up his hands, curling his fingers slightly.

Katara and Aang gave the older boy deadpanned looks and shook their heads, then returned to what they were doing.

"Also, Momo could talk." Sokka continued and pointed at the lemur then crossed his arms and glared at Momo, "You said some very unkind things."

Momo pinned his ears back and chattered at the Water Tribe boy. Katara sighed quietly and rolled her eyes at her brother's strangeness.

* * *

"There is a storm coming." Iroh stated wisely after taking a deep breath of the sea air, "A big one."

Xiaodan looked at the old man curiously from her position crouched on the railing of the top deck of the warship beside him then looked out at the sky clear blue sky uneasily.

"You're out of your mind, Uncle." Zuko commented drily as he closed his telescope and walked over to where his uncle was standing, ignoring the white-haired girl's existence, "The weather's perfect. There's not a cloud in sight."

"A storm is approaching from the north." Iroh said firmly as he turned to face his obstinate nephew, "I suggest we alter our course and head southwest."

"We know the Avatar is traveling northward," Zuko retorted, taking a few steps forward and pointing north, "So we will do the same."

Xiaodan shifted uneasily then hopped down from the railing and walked over to stand on Iroh's other side. It was irritating that the grumpy prince had been able to figure out where Aang was headed despite her never talking about it, but that wasn't what worried her at the moment.

"You're uncle's right, Firebug." She remarked and tilted her head back to look at the blue sky again, "Something doesn't feel right. The sky may look clear now but looks can be deceiving."

"Stay out of this, you little pest." Zuko snapped harshly without looking away from his uncle, deciding to ignore the face he saw the girl make out of the corner of his eye.

Iroh shook his head and looked at his nephew imploringly, "Prince Zuko, consider the safety of the crew."

"The safety of the crew doesn't matter!" Zuko snapped, then looked behind him just as Lieutenant Jee walked onto the deck and cocked an eyebrow at the prince with a frown on his face.

Zuko's expression hardened and he stalked towards the older man, "Finding the Avatar is more important than any individual's safety."

Xiaodan actually felt her jaw drop at the grouchy prince's words. She knew he could be a jerk, but that seemed terribly cruel even for him, although she didn't quite understand why she thought that but she was willing to blame Iroh and how he constantly tried to redeem his nephew in everyone's eyes. She watched the prince give Lieutenant Jee a hard look then walk back into the command tower, slamming the door behind him.

"He doesn't mean that." Iroh stated in an attempt to sooth the anger even Xiaodan could feel coming off of the lieutenant as the three of them turned to look at the closed door.

"Actually, I think he did." Xiaodan quipped from behind the two older men then ducked her head when Iroh gave her a reproachful look over his shoulder.

"No, he doesn't." He insisted and looked away from the sheepish white-haired girl, "He's just all worked up."

"If you say so…" Xiaodan mumbled then smiled innocently at Iroh when he looked over his shoulder at her again with slightly narrowed eyes.

* * *

"It's good. It's perfect. I'm telling you!" A merchant woman insisted angrily.

"I don't think I like the sound of that swishing." Katara stated as she shook the watermelon in her hand.

She, Aang, and Sokka had landed Appa in harbor of a small fishing town where they were currently buying food from the market.

"Swishing means it's ripe!" The watermelon merchant woman snapped as she came around to the front of her stall, "It's the ripe juices swishing around!"

"I think it's true, Katara." Aang quipped from his spot leaning against the other side of the watermelon stall with Sokka, "Swishing means it's ripe."

"I just realized we're out of money anyway." Katara said with a small smile as she put the watermelon back with the others and looked at the woman with her hands folded under her chin, then she and Aang walked away.

The merchant woman groaned angrily and snatched the basket of fruit and vegetables from Sokka's hand, kicking the Water Tribe boy in the backside as he walked past her after his sister and Aang.

The three stood on the dock, Sokka rubbing the spot on his backside where the angry merchant woman had kicked him.

"Out of food and out of money." He grumbled sourly, "Now what are we supposed to do?"

"You could get a job, smart guy." Katara commented drily before all three of the teens' faces deadpanned at the idea.

"You shouldn't go out there!" A woman's voice suddenly called out from behind them and the trio turned to stare at an old man and woman on the dock.

"Please, the fish can wait." The elderly woman insisted, "There's going to be a terrible storm."

Aang's eyes widened and he felt his heart stutter a bit at the old woman's words.

"You're crazy." The old fisherman stated to his wife, "It's a nice day. No clouds, no winds, no nothing, so quit your nagging woman!"

Aang looked away from the elderly couple and towards his two friends.

"Maybe we should find shelter." Aang suggested in a slightly nervous tone.

"Are you kidding?" Sokka asked then looked at the blue sky, "Shelter from what?"

"My joints say there's going to be a storm!" The old woman insisted, grabbing the trio's attention again, "A bad one."

"Well, it's your joints against my brain." The fisherman stated pointing at his wife then the side of his head.

"Then I hope your brain can find someone else to haul that fish, 'cause I ain't coming!" The old woman retorted angrily.

"Then I'll find a new fish hauler and pay him double what you get!" The fisherman snapped right back, "How do you like that?"

Sokka walked forward and raised his hand in the air briefly, "I'll go."

"You're hired!" The elderly fisherman stated, pointing at Sokka happily.

"What?" Sokka questioned when he saw the looks Aang and Katara were giving him from behind, "You said get a job, and he's paying double."

"Double?" The fisherman squawked, turning to look at the Water Tribe boy incredulously, "Who told you that nonsense?"

Sokka's expression dropped and Katara palmed her face while Aang tried to keep the fear from his face as he looked at the still blue sky.

* * *

Xiaodan looked warily up at the gray clouds the ship was sailing towards, her bottom lip clenched tightly between her teeth as she shifted nervously on her feet beside Iroh on the top deck.

"Huh, looks like your uncle was right about the storm after all." Lieutenant Jee taunted as he crossed his arms and looked at the banished prince.

"Lucky guess." Iroh said pleasantly, his hands raised slightly as he walked closer to the lieutenant with Xiaodan trailing behind him.

"Lieutenant! You'd better learn some respect," Zuko barked as he marched towards Jee and jabbed him in the chest with two fingers, "Or I'll teach it to you."

"What do _you _know about respect?" Lieutenant Jee demanded harshly as he glared at the prince's back, not noticing the way Iroh was making a silencing motion with his hand.

"The way you talk to everyone around, from your prisoner to hard-working crew to your esteemed uncle, shows you know nothing about respect!"

Xiaodan quirked a brow and then scowled when she had to dodge one of Iroh's flailing hands as his gestures got more exuberant. Her eyebrow rose further when Iroh slapped his hand against his forehead in exasperation, then she looked back at Jee and Zuko, who still had his back to the lieutenant.

"You don't care about anyone but yourself!" Jee ranted angrily then sneered, "Then again what should I expect from a spoiled prince."

Xiaodan flinched backwards slightly when Zuko whirled around, his right arm extended in a Firebending position and Lieutenant Jee was quick to the same.

"Easy now." Iroh said soothingly and moved to stand beside the two when Zuko and Jee wrist blocked the other's arm and smoke began to rise from the prince's hand.

Iroh looked at the smoke for a moment then smacked both of their wrists about and pushed them back slightly, "Enough! We are all a bit tired from being at sea so long. I'm sure after a bowl of noodles, everyone will feel much better."

"I think it'll take more than just a bowl of noodles, my friend." Xiaodan murmured after she had shuffled over to stand slightly behind and to Iroh's left.

Lieutenant Jee turned and walked away, the few other crew members that had watched the scene followed after him. Zuko turned his back on his uncle and the white-haired girl, taking a few steps forward.

"I don't need your help keeping orders on my ship."

Iroh stepped forward and placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder only for Zuko to shrug it off and walk away, leaving Iroh with a crestfallen expression on his aged face. Xiaodan pursed her lips and placed her own hand on Iroh's shoulder in a silent gesture of comfort as she glowered at the prince's turned back as the dark storm clouds moved closer.

* * *

"Sokka, maybe this isn't such a good idea." Aang commented warily as Sokka walked passed him with an armload of supplies, "Look at the sky."

"I said I was going to do this job." Sokka stated firmly as he walked onto the fisherman's boat, "I can't back out just because of some bad weather!"

"The boy with tattoos has some sense." The fisherman's wife snapped at her husband as she walked away, "You should listen to him!"

"Boy with tattoos?" the fisherman mumbled then turned around and looked at Aang, "Airbender tattoos… We'll I'll be a hog monkey's uncle. You're the Avatar, ain't ya?"

"That's right." Katara replied happily as she and Aang smiled at the old fisherman as he stopped in front of Aang.

"Well, don't be so smiley about it." The fisherman snapped and the two teens frowned at him in confusion, "The Avatar disappeared for a hundred years! You turned your back on the world!"

"Don't yell at him!" Katara shouted angrily as she stepped forward and glared at the fisherman, "Aang would never turn his back on anyone!

"Oh, he wouldn't, huh?" The fisherman asked sarcastically as he rubbed his small beard, "Then I guess I just have imagined the last hundred years of war and suffering!"

Aang's eyes widened and he looked at the fisherman sadly. Katara scowled and stepped in front of the young Airbender, her hands on her hips.

"Aang is the bravest person I know. He's done nothing but help people and save lives since I him!" Katara defended Aang fiercely while Aang backed away slowly from them, his eyes widening even further, "It's not his fault he disappeared, right Aang?"

Katara turned to look at Aang then frowned in concern when she saw him backing away from, "Aang, what's wrong?"

Aang didn't answer, instead he turned and snapped open his glider, flying away from them. Katara's eyes widened and she reached out her hand but it was too late.

"That's right!" The fisherman shouted as he shook his fist at Aang's disappearing form, "Keep flying!"

"You're a horrible old man!" Katara screamed at the fisherman then brushed past him and hopped onto Appa's head, grabbing his reins, "Appa, yip-yip!"

Appa grumbled and surged out of the water, splashing the old fisherman as he flew after Aang.

"Hey," Sokka whined as he walked back onto the top deck of the ship and saw his sister fly away on Appa, "They left without saying goodbye!"

"Your friends ain't too polite, are they?" The fisherman asked in a grumble as he wiped the water from his clothes.

"I know!" Sokka exclaimed, "This one time, I was-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." The fisherman snapped and shoved a crate into the Water Tribe boy's hands, "Get below deck!"

Sokka huffed but did as he was told.

* * *

Katara held her hand above her eyes to keep the rain from getting into them as she flew on Appa in search of Aang with the rain pouring down on them. She lowered her hand when she spotted a ledge with a cave on the mountain Appa was flying by and she quickly tugged the bison's reins in that direction, landing him just outside.

The Waterbender hurried into the cave, wiping the water from her clothes but she paused when she saw Aang sitting on the floor of the cave with his back to her and his head bowed.

"I'm sorry for running away." Aang apologized quietly.

"It's okay." Katara said soothingly, "That fisherman was _way _out of line."

"Actually, he wasn't."

"What do you mean?" Katara asked in confusion as she walked closer to Aang.

Aang glanced over his shoulder at her then looked away, "I don't want to talk about it."

Katara pursed her lips slightly and walked in front of him, kneeling down and placing her hand on his shoulder.

"It has to do with your dream, doesn't it?" She questioned softly, "Talk to me."

"Well," Aang sighed and looked at her sadly, "It's kind of a long story."

They both jumped when Momo suddenly ran past them and deeper into the cave, Appa tromping into the cave right behind the lemur. The sky bison rumbled quietly and nuzzled Aang with his nose and Aang smiled softly. He turned slightly and rubbed the soaking wet bison's chin affectionately while Katara stood and moved deeper into the cave.

"I'm going to get a little fire going."

* * *

Xiaodan stood at the front of the ship, her orange eyes staring intently at the storm clouds as she bit her lip hard enough to draw a small amount of blood.

"Please, please be safe, Aang…" She whispered worriedly.

* * *

Katara poked the small fire she had started with a stick, looking discreetly at Aang, who was sitting across from her with his eyes closed and Momo curled up in his lap.

"I'll never forget the day the monks told me I was the Avatar." Aang spoke suddenly as he looked at Katara, "I was playing with Xia and some others kids just outside the South Wall. I was trying to teach them how to do the air scooter…"

'_Aang stood next to Xiaodan as he explained how to air scooter to some of the other kids._

"_First you got to form the ball," Aang explained as he created a medium sized sphere of air between his palms, "Then you got to get on quick!"_

_Xiaodan laughed and clapped happily when Aang hopped onto the air sphere and began riding it around the area._

"_Okay, here goes." One of the older boys said as he formed an air sphere then hopped on, only to yell out as he spun around crazily then fell off._

_Aang paused and gently hopped of his air scooter when he saw the boy fall. As the oldest of the group, Xiaodan hurried over the fallen boy and helped him to his feet._

"_You kind of have to balance on it like it's a top." Aang stated, moving his finger in a circular motion._

"_Man, that is hard." The boy that had fallen stated, rubbing his head while Xiaodan checked him for any injuries before stepping back to stand by Aang's side like she usually did._

"_Where'd you learn that, Aang?" The youngest of the group asked, tugging on Aang's shirt slightly._

"_He made it up. He's a genius, right?" Xiaodan replied proudly and wrapped her arm around Aang's shoulders in a side hug and Aang blushed modestly at her praise._

"_Wow!" the youngest boy exclaimed, spinning in a circle and waving his arms in the air then stopped when he got dizzy._

"_Ahem." _

_The group of children turn to look at the Council of Elders standing on the steps._

"_Aang, come with us." Monk Gyatso said calmly from his spot in front of the other four Elders, "We need to speak with you."_

_Xiaodan stepped forward to follow, but Monk Gyatso held his hand up to stop her._

"_Just Aang, Xiaodan." He said gently, "You stay here and play with the others."_

_The white-haired girl frowned slightly but gave Aang a bright, reassuring smile when he looked back at her.'_

* * *

'_Aang looked at the Elders in disbelief._

"_How do you know it's me?" Aang asked, almost desperate for them to be wrong._

"_We have known you were the Avatar for some time." Monk Tashi replied calmly then Airbended wrapped up mat over to where Aang was sitting in front of them, "Do you remember these?"_

_The mat opened and revealed four toys and Aang smiled as he looked at them._

"_Those were some of my favorite toys when I was little!" Aang exclaimed as he looked up at the Elders, "Xia would always play with me with them."_

"_You chose them from among thousands of toys, Aang." Tashi explained softly as Aang picked up the pull-string propeller from the mat, "The toys you picked were the four Avatar relics. These items belonged to Avatars past. Your own past lives."_

"_I chose them because they seemed fun." Aang stated skeptically as he pulled the string and sent the propeller flying towards the Elders._

"_You chose them because they were familiar."_

"_Normally we would have told you of your identity when you turned sixteen," Gyatso piped in and Tashi looked over at him, "But there are troubling signs. Storm clouds are gathering."_

"_I fear that war may be upon us, young Avatar." Monk Pasang stated sagely and Gyatso looked at Aang softly._

"_We need you, Aang."_

_Aang blinked then closed his eyes and bowed his head, his lips pulled into a small frown…'_

Katara looked at Aang sadly as he stopped talking for a moment, his eyes closed and head bowed just like in his memory.

* * *

"I'm sick of taking his orders! I'm tired of chasing his Avatar!" Lieutenant Jee ranted angrily as he and a couple of the other crewmen had a drink around a small barrel-fire in the boiler room of the ship, "I mean, who does Zuko think he is?!"

"Do you really want to know?"

The men stood and Jee looked at the stairs that lead down into the boiler room.

"General Iroh. We were just-" Jee started but Iroh cut him off with a raised hand as he stepped into the light of the fire along with his near constant shadow, Xiaodan.

"It's okay." Iroh stated quietly then gestured to the barrel-fire, "May we join you?"

"Of course, sir." Jee agreed instantly and Iroh walked down the stairs, taking a seat on of the wooden barrels the men had been using at seats.

"Will you join us, Xia?" Iroh asked, looking up at the white-haired girl who was lingering near the doorway.

Xiaodan hesitated, her curiosity about Zuko's past and the reason he was such a jerk warring with her sense of respecting someone's privacy, even if that someone was a fire-shooting grouch. Finally, curiosity won out and Xiaodan jumped down in a single move then took a seat on the ground beside Iroh. She hoped the monks would forgive her for not respecting Zuko's privacy but her inquisitiveness had always been her greatest weakness.

Iroh nodded at her then stroked his beard as he thought about where to start. Xiaodan folded her hands in her lap and prepared to listen to whatever Iroh had to say.

"Try to understand. My nephew is a complicated young man." Iroh finally spoke after a moment of contemplation, "He has been through much…"

'_A younger Zuko walked through the halls of the Fire Nation Palace towards his father's war room only to be stopped by the guards at the currents._

"_Let me in!" Zuko demanded just as Iroh stepped forward and touched his shoulders._

"_Prince Zuko, what's wrong?"_

"_I want to go into the war chamber but the guard won't let me pass!" Zuko explained, trying to keep the whine out of his voice._

"_You're not missing anything, trust me." Iroh joked as he lead his young nephew away from the curtain, "Those meeting are dreadfully boring."_

"_If I'm going to rule this nation one day, don't you think I need to start learning as much as I can?" Zuko reasoned carefully, smiling slightly up at his uncle._

_Iroh pursed his lips slightly then nodded in consent, "Very well, but you must promise not to speak. These old folks are a bit sensitive, you know?"_

"_Thank you, Uncle." Zuko said excitedly as he bowed and Iroh lead him into the war chamber._

* * *

'"_The Earth Kingdom defenses are concentrated here." General Bujing stated as he pointed to a place on the large map, "A dangerous battalion of their strongest Earthbenders and fiercest warriors. So I am recommending the forty-first division."_

"_But the forty-first division is entirely new recruits." An older general stated, gesturing with his hand in a confused manner, "How do you expect them to defeat a powerful Earth Kingdom battalion?"_

"_I don't." General Bujing stated smugly as he looked towards where the Fire Lord was sitting behind a wall of flames, "They'll be used as a distraction while we mount an attack from the rear. What better to use as bait than fresh meat?"_

"_You can't sacrifice an entire division like that!" Zuko shouted in protest as he jumped to his feet, oblivious to the stricken look on his uncle's face, "Those soldiers love and defend our nation! How can you betray them?"_

_All the men in the war room stared up at the young prince in shock and in Iroh's case, dismay…'_

Xiaodan stared up at Iroh with wide eyes, surprised the Zuko would do such a thing in defense of a bunch of soldiers he didn't even know.

"Zuko was right, you see, but it was not his place to speak out." Iroh stated gravely as he stroked his beard again, looking off to the side, "And there were dire consequences…"

* * *

"So you were upset that you were the Avatar?" Katara questioned, trying to wrap her mind around what Aang was telling her, "Why wouldn't you be excited about it?'

"Well, I didn't know how to feel about it." Aang explained, his knees drawn up close to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, "All that I knew was that after I found out, everything began changing…"

'_Aang walked into the area behind the South Wall with Xiaodan at his side and they both saw the other kids zooming about on air scooters._

"_Hey, not bad!" Aang complimented when he saw how good the other kids had gotten at the air scooter, "You guys have been practicing!"_

"_Not only that!" The youngest of the group called out as he rode the air scooter around Aang and Xiaodan, "We made up a game you can play with the air scooters!"_

"_Great!" Aang exclaimed happily and made his own air scooter while Xiaodan stepped back with a laugh only to stop when she saw the other kids make their air scooters vanish._

"_What's going on?" The white-haired girl demanded, her arms crossing over her chest._

_The tallest of the group rubbed the back of his head, "Now that Aang's the Avatar, it's kind of an unfair advantage for whichever team he's on."_

"_What?!" Xiaodan squawked in shock as she looked at the group of kids with wide orange eyes._

"_But I'm still the same!" Aang protested then smiled up at the other boys, "Nothing's changed!"_

_The boys just looked at him sadly and Aang gave them a confused look, still on his air scooter._

"_So, what? I can't play?" He asked and the tallest boy nodded._

"_That's the only fair way."_

"_Oh…Okay." Aang murmured, his air scooter dissipating and he turned and walked away._

_Xiaodan glared at the boys angrily for a moment then hurried after her despondent brother._

"_Sorry, Aang." The youngest murmured sadly as he watched the two leave._

* * *

"_Very interesting move, young one." Gyatso commented after Aang had moved one of his Pai Sho tiles and ignored the groan of dismay from Xiaodan who sat slightly behind him._

"_What do you mean?" Aang asked, looking at the only father-figure he and Xiaodan had ever known confusedly._

_Xiaodan slapped a hand over her eyes when she saw Gyatso use airbending to create a spiral and flip a part of Aang's shirt of her head, covering his eyes. The monk then quickly moved two pieces on the board around and Aang flipped his clothing back into place._

"_Hey!" Aang protested and pointed at the board with a grin._

"_You cheater!" Xiaodan added with her own grin, as she giggled behind her hand._

_The three looked at each other then began to laugh, the door to the room opening to reveal Monk Tashi._

"_You're playing games with him?" The sternest monk on the Council of Elders demanded, "The Avatar should be training!"_

"_Aang has already trained enough for today." Gyatso retorted calmly as Xiaodan wrapped an arm around Aang's shoulder._

"_Time is short." The smaller Elder snapped then gestured for Aang to follow him as he started to walk away, "Come with me. I must test you on some high level techniques."_

"_No." Gyatso stated, holding his hand out and stopping Aang from following Tashi, "As long as I'm his guardian, I will decide when he trains…and when he gets his butt kicked at Pai Sho."_

"_Hmph."_

_Xiaodan gave Monk Tashi as smug smile as the small monk stalked down the hall with his nose in the air. She grinned and pulled Aang back into a sitting position at the Pai Sho table to beginning a new round with their guardian…'_

Katara looked at Aang in understanding when he told her how the other kids, with the exception of Xiaodan, had treated him differently when he learned about being the Avatar.

* * *

"After Zuko's outburst in the meeting, the Fire Lord became very angry with him." Iroh said softly as he looked at the flames dancing around in the barrel in front of him, "He said the challenge against the general was an act of complete disrespect! And there was only one way to resolve this."

"Agni Kai." Jee muttered then clarified when he saw the confused look on the white-haired girl's face, "A fire duel."

Xiaodan's eyes widened and she looked up at Iroh, almost afraid to hear what happened next.

"That's right." Iroh nodded in agreement, "Zuko looked upon the old general he had insulted and declared that he was not afraid. But Zuko misunderstood. When he turned to face his opponent, he was surprised to see it was not the general."

Iroh paused and closed his eyes before starting to speak again, "Zuko had spoken out against the general's plan, but by doing so in the Fire Lord's war room, it was the Fire Lord whom he disrespected. Zuko would have to duel his own father."

Xiaodan made a soft noise, feeling slightly distressed as she imagined exactly what happened the too the much younger prince and she felt her heart clench with compassion for the angry prince.

* * *

Aang looked at the fire dancing in front of him, "Then just as I was starting to feel better, something worse happened…"

'"_Aang needs to have freedom and fun." Monk Gyatso stated firmly as he looked at Monk Pasang, "He needs to grow up as normal boy."_

"_You cannot keep protecting him from his destiny!" Monk Tashi retorted with a scoff as he glared at the other Elder standing next to him._

"_Gyatso, I know you mean well," Monk Pasang stated soothingly, "But you are letting your affection for the boy cloud your judgment."_

"_All I want is what is best for him." Gyatso replied firmly._

"_But what we need is what's best for the world." Pasang commented quietly, "You and Aang must be separated! The Avatar will be sent away to the Eastern Air Temple to complete his training while you and young Xiaodan stay here so she can complete her own training."_

_Unbeknownst to the Elders below, Aang heard every word from a small hole in the room where he could see into the meeting room. His gray eyes were wide with shock…'_

"That's awful, Aang." Katara said softly as she reached for him, "I don't know what to say."

"How could they do that to me?" Aang demanded suddenly as he jumped to his feet and paced around the cave, "They wanted to take away everything I knew and everyone I loved!"

Air swirled around him as his anger increased with each word and his arrows glowed, the fire flaring up.

"Whoa!" Katara gasped as she dodged a few cinders from the fire, "Hot cinders!"

Aang glared at the wall for a moment, his tattoos glowing before fading away as he calmed down.

"I'm sorry I got so mad." Aang apologized as he walked back to sit by the fire.

"You have a right to be angry," Katara assured him as he sat down across from her then crossed her arms, "After the monks sent you away like that."

"Well," Aang hesitated and looked to the side, "That's not exactly what happened…"

Katara waited for him to continue and after a moment, he did.

"I was afraid, confused." Aang explained quietly, "I didn't know what to do…"

'_Monk Gyatso walked towards Aang's room and knocked gently on the door only for it to swing open by itself._

"_Aang, I'm not going to let them take you away from me and Xia." Gyatso stated as he opened the door fully and stepped in, "Aang?" _

_Gyatso walked further into the room then spotted a scroll on Aang's bed. The monk picked up the scroll and gasped, turning quickly to look out a window in the room. He stared worriedly at the roiling storm…'_

"I never saw Gyatso again…" Aang stated quietly as he remembered flying through the storm with Xiaodan then being hurled into the water, "The next thing I knew, I waking up in your arms after you found me and Xia in the iceberg."

"You ran away…" Katara said sympathetically.

"Then the Fire Nation attacked our temple." Aang murmured despondently, his voice full of self-reproach, "My people needed me and I wasn't there to help."

"You don't know what would have-"

"The world needed me and I wasn't there to help!" Aang cut Katara off, throwing his arms in the air.

"Aang…" Katara said softly but Aang cut her off again.

"The fisherman was right!" He said, his harsh tone directed at himself and not Katara, "I did turn my back on the world."

"You're being too hard on yourself, even if you did run away." Katara stated firmly, "I think it was meant to be. If you had stayed , you and Xia would have been killed along with all the other Airbenders."

"You don't know that." Aang muttered into his arm as he looked at the cave wall.

"I know it was meant to be this way." Katara insisted, a small smile appearing on her face, "The world needs you now. You give people hope."

Aang turned his head to look at the dark-haired girl, a small smile appearing on his face as he began to believe her words. Momo chattered, running around the fire over to him and Aang scratched his back gently.

* * *

"When Prince Zuko saw that it was his father who had come to duel him, he begged for mercy." Iroh continued speaking, his hand coming to rest on Xiaodan's shoulder as she looked up at him along with the rest of the men.

'"_Please, Father!" Zuko begged, "I only had the Fire Nation's best interests at heart. I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!"_

_The Fire Lord stalked towards his son slowly._

"_You will fight for your honor." He growled and Zuko got on his hands and knees with his head bowed._

"_I meant you no disrespect." Zuko said, pleading for his father to understand, "I am your loyal son!"_

"_Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!" the Fire Lord ordered, now looming over his son's kneeling form._

"_I won't fight you."_

"_You will learn respect," The Fire Lord's voice rumbled through the arena, "And suffering will be your teacher!"_

_Zuko looked up at his father, tears streaming down his face as his father pulled his fist back….'_

"I looked away." Iroh stated, his eyes closed as he looked away the same way he had in his memory, the sound of his nephew's pained scream ringing in his ears.

Xiaodan placed her hand gently on his knee, her own eyes filling with tears as she wondered how cruel a man had to be to do something like that to their own flesh and blood.

"I always thought that Prince Zuko was in a training accident." Lieutenant Jee stated quietly, looking at Iroh in shock.

"It was no accident." Iroh practically growled then his voice became calm again as he opened his eyes and looked at the men, plus Xiaodan, "After the duel, the Fire Lord said that by refusing to fight, Zuko had shown shameful weakness. As punishment, he was banished and sent to capture the Avatar. Only then could he return with his honor."

"So that's why he's so obsessed." Jee muttered in understanding, "Capturing the Avatar is the only chance he has of things returning to normal."

"I doubt things will ever return to normal for him." Xiaodan murmured quietly as she looked into the flames, her tone sorrowful.

"You are right, Xia." Iroh agreed, taking a sip of the tea that had been brought to him, "But the important thing is the Avatar gives Zuko hope."

"Yeah…" Xiaodan murmured so quietly only Iroh really heard her, "Aang's always been good at that…"

* * *

Zuko breathed carefully as he meditated in his room, his mind wandering to when he was younger and happier, to the time in his life before he had been scarred and banished by his father. His meditation was broken when his ship rocked violently after being stuck.

* * *

"Help! Oh, please help!"

Katara and Aang looked towards the entrance of the cave where the fisherman's wife was standing, completely drenched from the rain. Katara hurried over to the much older woman and lead into the cave and out of the downpour.

"It's okay, your safe." The Waterbender soothed as she lead the elderly woman towards the small fire.

"But my husband isn't!" The woman stated worriedly as she pulled the hood of her small cloak down.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked, her own worry beginning to grow, "Where's Sokka?"

"They haven't returned!" The woman explained, her voice rising as she spoke, "They should have been back by now! And this storm is becoming a typhoon! They're caught out at sea!"

Aang jumped to his feet with a determined expression on his face, "I'm going to find him!"

"I'm going with you!" Katara stated firmly.

"I'm staying here!" The elderly woman exclaimed, crossing her arms and closing her eyes as she sat by the fire.

Katara and Aang quickly lead Appa to the mouth of the cave and Aang looked at the old woman by the fire.

"We'll be back soon. I promise." He vowed firmly then jumped onto Appa's head with Katara in the saddle.

Aang flicked the reins and Appa leapt into the air, flying into the raging storm.

* * *

"Where were we hit?" Zuko demanded as he rushed onto the top deck where the rest of the crew, plus his uncle and prisoner were standing, trying to keep their footing as the ship rocked dangerously and water splashed around their feet.

"I don't know!" Lieutenant Jee cried out as he tried to keep his footing.

"Look!" Iroh and Xiaodan shouted and pointed at the top of the command tower which was smoking.

"The helmsman!" Zuko shouted when he saw the hanging precariously by one hand from the ruined observation deck.

Zuko rushed forward and began rapidly climbing the service ladder on the side of the command tower with Lieutenant Jee right behind him. Xiaodan watched them worriedly, holding her hand up to her eyes to keep the torrent of rain out of them.

The white-haired girl cried out when she was suddenly pushed to the floor of the deck and she looked up just in time to see lightning strike where she was standing, where Iroh was now standing. Her eyes widened as lightning hit him and he redirected it back into the roiling ocean on the other side of the ship, his shoulders, hair and hands smoking.

"Oh my gosh…" She cried in stunned amazement then she jumped to her feet and started checking him for injuries, "Are you okay, Iroh?"

"I am…Fine." Iroh practically squeaked and the two shared flabbergasted looks before looking up at the tower just as the helmsman lost his grip and plummeted towards the deck below.

Xiaodan screamed again then sighed in relief when Zuko caught the falling man by the wrist then carefully lowered the helmsman into waiting Lieutenant Jee's arms below him. The lieutenant smiled gratefully up at the scarred prince and the corner of Zuko's lips quirked upwards in a return.

* * *

"Where are they?" Katara shouted as she and Aang looked at the churning ocean for any sign of the fisherman's boat.

Aang's eyes widened when he saw a large wave coming towards them and Aang flicked the reins, urging Appa to go higher.

"Come on, Appa!" Aang shouted encouragingly and Appa roared, flying upward but the wave was already to close and would be closing down on them.

Aang's glared determinedly and continued to fly Appa straight at the wave, grabbing his staff and twirling it around rapidly while using Airbending to create a hole in the wave that Appa was able to fly through.

"The boat!" Aang cried out, pointing to the small vessel being tossed around by the ocean like a ragdoll, "There!"

Aang urged Appa to fly faster towards the fisherman's boat, not noticing the Fire Nation ship off to the side.

* * *

"The Avatar!" Zuko shouted in surprise when he saw the familiar flying bison soaring through the storm.

"What do you want to do, sir?" Lieutenant Jee asked, his back straight as he awaited the prince's orders.

Zuko hesitated a moment then looked over at the lieutenant, "Let him go. We need to get his ship to safety."

"Then we must head directly into the eye of the storm." Iroh stated sagely before a suddenly blur of white caught his attention and he looked to see Xiaodan racing towards the front of the ship, "But first, Prince Zuko, I suggest you stop your prisoner from being sucked into the ocean.

Zuko looked in the direction his uncle had gestured and his eyes widened when he saw the Airbender girl heading towards the edge of the ship.

"That's stupid little…" He snarled and ran to grab before she _did _get sucked into the ocean.

* * *

"I'm too young to die!" Sokka screamed, clutching a rope on the main mast as the boat was tossed around by the storm and the angry ocean.

"I'm not, but I still don't wanna!" The fisherman shouted, clutching onto a different rope.

Appa suddenly appeared and Aang leapt down onto the boat just a lightning hit the top of the mast and it began to fall straight towards Aang. The young Airbender gasped then stared determined as he used Waterbending to split the wooden mast in half, the two pieces falling on either side of Sokka and the fisherman. Sokka quickly grabbed a loose rope and tied it around his and the fisherman's waist just as Aang skidded to a stop in front of them.

"Hang on to the rope!" Aang shouted, grabbing the other end of the rope then raced back towards Appa, jumping on the bison's head and tying the rope to Appa's head.

Sokka and the fisherman watched for a moment then screamed when Appa jerked his head and yanked them off the boat then swung them around into the saddle on his back. The two grinned at each other only to scream again when a massive wave appeared behind them and dragged them all underwater as it crashed into them.

* * *

"Aang!" Xiaodan screamed when she saw the wave drag Appa under the water, lunging towards edge of the boat only to be pulled back by a pair of strong arms around her waist, "Let me go! No! Aang!"

The arms held her tightly as she struggled, vainly reaching her one hand out in the direction Appa had disappeared into the water.

"Stop it!" Zuko roared in her ear so he could be heard over the crashing of the ocean and the thunder, "There's nothing you can do!"

"I have to help him!" Xiaodan wailed desperately as she struggled for another moment before going completely limp in the prince's arms, the tears streaming down her face mixing with the rain, "I have to help him…"

Zuko continued to hold the white-haired girl tightly as her body shook with sobs, a grimace on his face as he looked out at the calming ocean as the ship reached the eye of storm and the rain turned into a soft drizzle instead of a raging torrent.

* * *

Aang's eyes opened slowly as Appa's reins slipped from his hands and he saw Sokka, Katara, and the fisherman clutching onto Appa's saddle in an attempt to keep themselves from drifting away.

The reins almost slipped completely from Aang's grip when his tattoos and eyes began to glow as the Avatar State was activated and he grabbed the Appa's reins tightly, moving to float cross-legged above Appa's head. The young Avatar then put his fists together and massive sphere of air just like the one that had trapped him and Xiaodan in the iceberg surround him, Appa, Katara, Sokka, and the fisherman.

* * *

Zuko carefully lowered the quietly weeping girl to the metal deck as his uncle walked over to stand beside him.

"Uncle," Zuko said quietly as he looked at Iroh with a slightly bowed head, "I'm sorry."

Iroh smiled faintly and put his hand on his nephew's shoulder, "Your apology is accepted."

Zuko nodded and looked out at the ocean while Iroh turned and crouched down beside the white-haired girl, pulling her gently into his arms in a paternal embrace as she cried against his shoulder.

Zuko sucked in a breath when he saw the Avatar's bison burst from the water in front of his ship and fly over him. His gold eyes briefly met the Avatar's gray ones when the boy looked at him over his shoulder before his gaze slipped to Zuko's left.

"Aang…"

Zuko looked to his left and saw Xiaodan staring up at the retreating bison in wonder and relief, as she watched the bison fly towards the spot of blue sky at the top of the storm's eye.

Xiaodan closed her eyes and her whole body when limp with relief as she leaned heavily against Iroh's side.

"He's okay." She whispered quietly, like a mantra, "He's okay…"

Iroh stroked her hair gently as he listened to her repeat those two words until her voice faded and she passed out against him.

* * *

"Oh, you're alive!" The fisherman's wife cried out happily as she ran towards her husband and threw her arms around him then she pulled away and pointed at Aang, "You owe this boy an apology!"

"He doesn't have to apologize." Aang said, slightly distracted as he replayed the memory of seeing Xiaodan on Zuko's ship.

The fisherman rubbed his beard and grumbled, "What if, instead of an apology. I give him free fish and we call it even?"

"Actually, I don't eat meat."

"Fish ain't meat!" the fisherman exclaimed, giving Aang a weird look.

"Seriously? You're still gonna pay me right?" Sokka asked he walked towards the couple with his hand held out, only for the fisherman to place a slimy fish in his hand.

Aang walked towards Katara with his head bowed slightly, "Katara, I think you were right before. I'm done dwelling on the past."

"Really?" Katara questioned happily.

"I can't make guesses about how things would have turned out if Xia and I hadn't run away." Aang stated, his heart clenching when he thought about his sister, "I'm here now and I'm going to make the most of it."

"I don't think you're going to have those nightmares anymore." Katara said with a proud smile on her face.

Aang smiled weakly in agreement only to think how his nightmares would now most likely be about Xiaodan being Zuko's prisoner.

"And if you weren't here now, well, I guess I wouldn't be either." The fisherman said suddenly, pulling Aang from his thoughts as he walked over and put his hand on Aang's shoulder, "Thank you for saving my life, Avatar."

"Do you hear that?" Sokka asked suddenly, "It stopped raining."

Katara, Aang, Sokka, the fisherman and his wife all walked out of the cave, taking in the now peaceful ocean at least until Appa shook the rainwater from his fur, splashing everyone.

"Appa!" Aang exclaimed in exasperation while the others groaned at being wet again.

* * *

Zuko carefully followed his uncle down the hall of the command tower that lead to where his uncle's, his own, and a few empty cabins were, Xiaodan's unconscious body curled up in his arms.

After she had passed out from stress and emotional exhaustion—if what his uncle said was to be believed—Iroh had enlisted Zuko to carry her to her cabin so that she may rest and after a lot of grumbling and complaining, Zuko had done as his uncle asked. The girl had curled up against him shortly after he had first picked her up, her head resting against the crook of his neck so her rapidly drying white hair brushed against his chin while one of her hands rested against his chest, right above his heart.

"Here we are." Iroh whispered quietly as he opened and held the metal door to Xiaodan's room, allowing Zuko to enter first then hurrying in after.

Iroh quickly pulled the blanket from the sleeping mat and directed his nephew towards it with a nod of his head, "Put her gently on the bed."

Zuko rolled his eyes in exasperation at his uncle's coddling of the girl but again did as he was asked, this time without complaining as lowered the slumbering Airbender onto her sleeping mat as gently as he could without waking her.

"Good." Iroh said, his voice still quiet as he tucked the blanket around the white-haired girl's body, "Thank you for your help, Prince Zuko."

The scarred teen grunted in response and hurried out of the room, resisting the urge to rub his chin where Xiaodan's hair had caused it to itch. Iroh watched his nephew leave before lighting a few of the candles in the room to generate some warmth then left the room as well to prepare some soothing jasmine tea for the young woman he had started to think of as a niece or daughter when she woke up.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoo! This was kinda fun to write and I hope everyone liked it! I hope everyone that needed to be in character were not OOC and I hope I wrote the memory parts okay as well. It's rather hard to write out a flashback. XD Anyhooties, next chapter will take place during Season 1 Episode 13: The Blue Spirit (another favorite of mine) and it will be posted on Wednesday, so stay tuned for that! **

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are awesome and I love you in a totally unweirdo way!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**LadyAmazon: **Haha, that's true, I never thought of it like that, which is funny since I specifically made Xia an Airbender because Airbenders are the spiritual opposites of Firebenders. Oh yes, it's amazing what a change of clothes can do since Zuko didn't really see Xia as an actual girl just when she was in her Air Nomad clothes, because he associated those types of clothes with the Avatar which pretty much blinded him and then she changed into something different and BAM! He was like, 'Oh there's a girl there and she's actually kind of pretty' at least until Xia opened her mouth then he remembered who and what she was. XD  
Ah, you'd be right about Xia and Aang's separation being a test that's for both of them really. Aang and Xia have only rarely been kept apart since Aang was born, so they both rely quite heavily on one another which can hold both of them back. So yes, Xia's kidnapping is definitely a way to teach them both to stand on their own two feet without having to rely so heavily on the other. Anyhooties, long-ass reply is done now, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Anonymous Guest: **Thanks, hope you like this chapter too!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape**: Awesome! I hope you like this chapter too!

**88dragon06: **Yup, that's my way of showing that despite not being with the GAang, they are still thinking and missing Xia and vice versa. Haha, I'm glad you liked the little Zuko/Xia moments, they were definitely a blast to write. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter and the Zuko/Xia moments in it too!

**Ambrosia Maestro: **I love it! Xiabug, that's adorable, it reminds of Shammy (Sheldon and Amy from BBT). I hope you like chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Yup, I thought that would be a good to incorporate Xia into the parts when she's not with the GAang and because I can't really see Aang as being terrible assertive in the beginning of the episode unless he was channeling someone he knew. Haha, I'm so glad you liked that part. I kinda wanted to showcase that despite being a jerk sometimes, Zuko is _still _a teenage boy and they do get kinda stupid around girls. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: **Haha, awesome, I'm glad you liked the last chapter so much! I hope you like this one as much too because it was one of my favorites to write.


	14. Chapter 14: The Blue Spirit

**AN: Chapter 14 takes place during Season 1 Episode 13: The Blue Spirit, lot of action-y scenes in this one so I hope I did those okay. Various POVs as always, so enjoy lovelies!**

* * *

"Absolutely not!" Colonel Shinu growled as he glared at the taller Commander Zhao after watching one of his famed Yuyan Archers shot three arrows into the dead center of a target, splitting the first and second arrows, "The Yuyan Archers stay here. Your request is _denied_, Commander Zhao."

"Colonel Shinu, please reconsider…their precision is legendary. The Yuyan can pin a fly to a tree from one hundred yards away…without killing it." Commander Zhao said persuasively before his tone turned annoyed, "You're wasting their talents using them as mere security guards."

"I can do whatever I want with their talents," Shinu retorted, giving Zhao a stern look, "They're _my _archers, and what I say goes."

Zhao turned to the face the colonel with a frustrated and angry look on his face.

"But my search for the Avatar-"

"Is nothing but a vanity project!" Shinu snapped, cutting Zhao off mid-sentence and glaring up at him, "We're fighting a _real _war here, and I need every man I've got, commander."

"But-"

"That's final! I don't want to hear another word about it!" Colonel Shinu stated harshly as he turned away, just as a messenger hawk cried out then landed on the colonel's arm.

Shinu turned towards Zhao slightly, taking the scroll off of the hawk and letting it hop onto the ledge. Shinu opened the scroll and read it with a confused expression.

"News from Fire Lord Ozai?" Commander Zhao asked curiously as he walked closer to the colonel, who handed him the note.

A smug smile made its way onto Zhao's face and he looked at the colonel haughtily, "It appears I've been promoted to Admiral. My request is now an _order_."

Colonel Shinu kept his face impassive as he bowed and left the small lookout tower. Zhao watched the Yuyan Archers continue to practice below with a pleased expression on his face, unbeknownst to the figure in a blue mask that had heard the entire conversation perched on the roof of the above him. The mysterious blue-masked figure pulled away and disappeared into the shadows without a sound.

* * *

"This should bring your fever down." Katara commented worriedly as she gently pressed a wet cloth to Sokka's forehead.

"You know what I love about Appa the most?" Sokka asked suddenly from his position huddled in his sleeping bag, somewhat delusional from his illness, "His sense of humor."

"That's nice. I'll tell him." Katara said complacently and Appa growled quietly.

"Classic Appa." Sokka said with a laugh, his eyes closed as Katara held the wet rag to his forehead.

"How's Sokka doing?" Aang asked concernedly as he walked over to where Katara was sitting beside Sokka who was lying on Appa's side.

"Not so good," Katara replied quietly, "Being out in that storm really did a number on him."

Sokka gave a pitifully sniff as his nose began to run and his body shivered.

"I couldn't find any ginger root for the tea. But I found a map!" Aang said excitedly as he held up the rolled map then opened it on the ground, "There's an herbalist institute on top of that mountain. We could probably find a cure for Sokka there."

"Aang, he's in no condition for travel. Sokka just needs more rest. I'm sure he'll be better by tomorrow." Katara said only to start coughing into her fist.

"Not you too." Aang stated quietly, his expression becoming even more concerned as he looked at Katara.

"Relax, it's just a little cough. I'm fi-" Katara started coughing again, this time with more force.

"That's how Sokka started yesterday." Aang commented as he shielded his face with his arms, then he gestured to Sokka, "Now look at him! He thinks he's an Earthbender!"

"Take that, you rock!" Sokka shouted deliriously at the moment, flailing his arms as if to hit something.

"A few more hours and you'll be talking nonsense too." Aang stated firmly then jumped to his feet and snatched up his glider, "I'm going to go find some medicine."

Lightning flashed across the sky and Aang paused on his way out of the ruined building they had made camp in.

"Uh, maybe it's safer if I go on foot." Aang muttered as he closed his glider and leaned it against a pillar then looked over at Appa and Momo, "Keep an eye on them guys."

Appa grumbled lowly and Momo chittered at him, causing Sokka to start laughing hysterically.

"You guys are killing me!" Sokka stated through his chuckles.

Aang shook his head and leapt out of the ruined building, using Airbending to propel himself as he leapt down the side of side of the mountain where the ruined buildings had been built. He used Airbending to run faster as he headed towards the herbalist institute on the other mountain.

* * *

Xiaodan carefully poured the water she had just boiled into the clay teapot Iroh had let her use, then added the ginseng leaves to the hot water. She placed the teapot on the tray along with small teacups and the fruit pie she had managed to bake using the ship's kitchen. She picked up the tray and headed up to the bridge of the ship where Iroh was playing Pai Sho with two other crew members while Zuko and Zhao tried to pick up Aang's location.

"We haven't been able to pick up the Avatar's trail since the storm." Lieutenant Jee stated as Xiaodan walked into the room, pointing at the map, "But if we continue heading northeast-"

Xiaodan blinked and stopped pouring a cup of tea for Iroh to look out the windows when a large shadow darkened the room. Her eyes widened when she saw a much larger Fire Nation ship pulled up alongside Zuko's.

"What do they want?" Zuko wondered in confusion, looking angrily as the other ship.

"Perhaps a sporting game of Pai Sho." Iroh suggested, running his hands together eagerly.

"Not likely." Xiaodan stated drily as she handed the old man his cup of tea, much to his delight.

Xiaodan had just passed a cup of tea to the three men standing or sitting with Iroh and had taken her sit with her own cup when a soldier from the other ship entered the room. Xiaodan nearly choked on her tea when the soldier snapped open a wanted poster with Aang's picture on and held it open for Zuko to see.

"The hunt for the Avatar had been given prime importance," The soldier barked, ignoring the annoyed look the prince was giving him, "All information regarding the Avatar _must _be reported to Admiral Zhao."

"Zhao has been promoted? Well, good for him." Iroh said congenially as he moved one of his Pai Sho pieces and his opponent slapped his forehead when he lost, causing Xiaodan to giggle quietly.

"I've nothing to report to Admiral Zhao." Zuko stated coldly as he looked at the floor then glared up at the three soldiers, "Now get off my ship and let us pass."

"Admiral Zhao is not allowing ships in or out of this area." The lead soldier informed the prince, his face stern.

"Off my ship!" Zuko roared, causing Xiaodan to jump slightly as he pointed to the soldiers' own ship.

"Excellent! I take the pot!" Iroh exclaimed happily as the soldiers left and he pulled the Pai Sho pot towards him, one of the men punching himself in the face in exasperation.

"But you're all improving!" Iroh praised with a serene smile before grinning at them, "I'm certain you will win if we play again."

Xiaodan chuckled quietly and ducked her head so her hair hid her face as she poured more ginseng tea into Iroh's cup.

* * *

A Fire Nation soldier looked at the wanted poster while his companion was on watch duty.

"Says here that the Avatar can create tornadoes and run faster than the wind," The soldier said as he read the poster aloud, "Pretty amazing."

"Ah, that's just a bunch of Fire Lord propaganda! There's no way that's true." The second soldier denied before looking back out the small window in the hidden outpost only to see a large cloud of dust in the distance.

His eyes widened when something ran by and destroyed the outpost then he grabbed his horn and blew on it to signal that the Avatar had been spotted.

* * *

"Katara," Sokka rasped weakly from his sleeping bag, "Please, water."

Katara opened her eyes and looked at Momo, her voice also weak.

"Listen carefully, Momo." She rasped and held up her canteen, "I need you to take this to the river, and fill it with water. Got it?"

Momo looked at her then grabbed the water skin and flew out of the ruined building.

* * *

"Hello, I'm sorry to barge in like this but I _need _some medicine for my friends," Aang spoke rapidly after he had run up the stairs and into the green house of the herbal institute, "They have fevers and they were coughing-"

"Settle down, young man." The elderly herbalist chided gently as she stopped mixing something in a mortar, "Your friends are going to be fine. I've been up here for over forty years you know, used to be others, but they all left years ago."

The herbalist pet the large white cat that was on the table she was working on and it began to purr, "Now it's just me and Miyuki."

"That's nice." Aang said, trying not to bounce in place as the old woman continued to ramble.

"Wound Earth Kingdom troops still come by now and again, brave boys, and thanks to my remedies they always leave in better shape than when they arrive."

"That's nice." Aang said again and this time he tried to gently rush the old woman, "Are you almost done?"

"Hold on, I just need to add one last ingredient." The herbalist stated as she began to walk amongst the shrubbery, looking around and muttering to herself, "Oh, sandalwood…oh, er, uh that won't do, banana leaf? Ah, nope, uh, ginger root, uh, uh, oh where is that pesky little plant?"

Aang looked at the woman's back in exasperation and slapped his face with his hand as the woman continued to search and mutter to herself.

* * *

Xiaodan sat cross-legged on the top deck with her back against the hard metal of the command tower and watched Zuko practice his Firebending, kicking and punching the air in a rather dangerous looking dance.

"Is everything okay?" Iroh asked as he walked out of the command tower and stood beside Xiaodan as Zuko stopped flinging fire around, "It's been almost an hour and you haven't given the men an order."

"I don't care what they do."

Xiaodan's eyebrows rose to almost her hairline and she looked up at Iroh, the surprise at the prince's words evident on her face.

"Don't give up hope yet." Iroh said reassuringly as he looked at his nephew, "You can still find the Avatar before Zhao."

Zuko turned around and Xiaodan started at the obvious fear and desperation on his scarred face. She didn't think his expression ever changed from scowling or glaring, but apparently she was wrong.

"How, Uncle? With Zhao's resources, it's just a matter of time before he captures the Avatar." Zuko stated, his voice upset then he turned around and lowered his voice to a whisper, "My honor, my throne, my country…I'm about to lose them all."

"But you have something that Zhao doesn't have." Iroh stated and Zuko turned around to give him a confused look only to see his uncle looking down at Xiaodan with apologetic eyes.

Understanding dawned on the scarred prince and he stared at the befuddled white-haired girl with determination.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Xiaodan groaned when she realized what was happening and slammed the back of her head against the command tower wall when the two men looked at her, "You both suck."

* * *

"Oh, here's what I was looking for!" The woman exclaimed happily as she found what she was looking for, "Plum blossom!"

"Finally!" Aang groaned, lifting his head from the table and throwing his arms in the arm as the woman walked back over to the table and dropped the blossom into the mixing bowl.

"Thanks for all your help!" Aang said and tried to snatch the bowl from the herbalist's hands only for her to smack his hand with a wooden spoon, "Ow!"

"What do you think you're doing?" the old woman demanded, snatching the bowl away from Aang as he shook his hand.

Aang gave the woman a wide-eyed look and rubbed his injured hand, "Taking the cure to my friends!"

"This isn't a cure!" The woman said with a laugh as she placed the bowl on the table and the cat began to eat out of it, "It's Miyuki's dinner. Plum blossom is her favorite."

"What about my friends?!"

The herbalist laughed again as she stroked the cat's back, "Well, all they need are some frozen wood frogs. There's plenty down in the valley swamp."

"What am I supposed to do with frozen frogs?" Aang questioned, looking at the woman in confusion.

"Why suck on them of course!"

Aang's eye twitched and he looked at the woman in shock and disgust, "Suck on them?"

"The frog skin excretes a substance that will cure your friends." The herbalist explained with a smile, "Be sure to get plenty because once those little critters thaw out, they're useless!"

"You're insane, aren't you?" Aang deadpanned, unintentionally saying something Xiaodan would have if she were here.

"That's right!" The woman said crazily as she laughed then ushered Aang out of the green house, "Well, don't stand there all day! Go!"

The woman didn't have to tell him twice and Aang ran out of the green house as face as he could, wiping his face because the storm had gotten worse and the rain was getting in his eyes.

Aang yelped when two arrows came out of nowhere and pinned his pants to the ground, his arm pinwheeling as he tried to keep his balance. He at the arrows in confusion then looked up and saw even more heading straight towards.

"Ah!" He shouted and quickly Airbended a shield around him, sending the arrows out and away from him.

"Uh, I think you dropped this." He called out after yanking one of the arrows out of his pants and held it out, only to scream again when he saw a couple of archers taking aim at him.

In a panic, Aang quickly freed himself from the second arrow pinning his foot to the ground and started to run away, dodging arrows as he went. He jumped off the cliff the herbalist institute was on, screaming as he fell until towards the trees. Aang yelped as he hit and bounced off the tree branches, covering his face with his arms.

Once he was able to get his footing, Aang quickly jumped from tree to tree as he dodged the arrows the archers were still shooting at him, until he reached the swamp the crazy herbalist had told him to go to. He yelped when he went under the cold swamp water and quickly pushed himself back up.

"A frog!" Aang shouted as he looked at the frozen frog in his hand only to gasp when an arrow hit it and knocked it back into the swamp water.

Aang moved as quickly as he could through the swamp water and kept an eye out for the archers as he picked up the frozen wood frogs and stuck them in his shirt. He was about to put another frog in his shirt when he arm was pinned to the log he was standing front of. He stared in shock and began tugging on his arm as more arrows pinned his shirt sleeve to the wood. Aang gasped when he saw the archers standing in front of him with their bows drawn, thinking quickly he Waterbending the swamp water and froze it in front of him as a shield, but the arrows shattered the frozen water.

More arrows were fired at him and pinned his other arm to log then a net was shot at him, trapping him place. Aang looked at the archers with wide, terrified eyes as they advanced on him.

* * *

"I don't know how I'm supposed to help you!" Xiaodan shouted in frustration as she glared at Iroh and Zuko who were standing in front of her, blocking the door to her cabin, "I don't know where Aang is!"

"Then you can teach me how to fight him!" Zuko yelled right back, his gold eyes burning into hers, "That will give me an advantage that Zhao doesn't have."

"No it won't because Aang and I have two separate fighting styles!" She snapped and crossed her arms with an irritated huff, "He's more likely to avoid and evade, he won't attack unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Do you not fight the same way?" Iroh asked, his hands folded inside his sleeves and Xiaodan gave him an annoyed look.

"Essentially, it's the same but I'd rather incapacitate my opponent at the quickest opportunity then escape while Aang would evade all attacks directed at him until he saw an opportunity to get away. My way is more confrontational."

"I see." Iroh murmured, stroking his chin as he thought.

"Then you are useless!" Zuko shouted at her angrily and spun around, stomping out of the room with his fists clenched at his sides, "Come on, Uncle."

Xiaodan glared at his back then turned around and sat down with her own back to the door and Iroh. She didn't see the sad look Iroh gave her as he left the room and shut the door behind him. Xiaodan hunched her shoulders and glared down at her lap where she had placed her clenched fists, then sighed gently as her fists relaxed.

* * *

Aang glared angrily, at the metal door in front of him, his feet chained to the floor while his arms were outstretched with his hands chained to two pillars on either side of him. He was barely able to move, but he struggled against chains anyway.

He stopped his struggles and looked towards the door when it opened and a man in Fire Nation military garb walked inside with his hands clasped behind his back.

"So this is the great Avatar?" Zhao questioned sardonically as he came to a stop in front of the bald boy, "Master off all element. I don't know how you managed to elude the Fire Nation for a hundred years, but your little game of hide-and-seek is over."

"I've never hidden from you!" Aang shouted angrily as he strained against his bonds, "Untie me and I'll fight you right now!"

"Ah… No." Zhao drawled as he looked over his shoulder at the young boy before turning around full with a cruel smirk, "Tell me, how does it feel to be the only Airbender left? Do you miss your people?"

Aang looked down at his feet sadly as his words but it gave him a small amount of hope that the Fire Nation didn't realize he wasn't the last Airbender and that meant the Xiaodan was somewhat safe.

"Don't worry, you won't be killed like they were." Zhao continued to taunt the boy who glared up at him angrily, "See, if you die you will just be reborn and the Fire Nation would have to start searching all over again. So, I'll keep you alive, but just barely."

Aang glared at Zhao as he walked away then took a deep breath and blew a gale force wind at the smug admiral, knocking him over and into the wall. Zhao rubbed his head and shook it as he got to his feet and glared at Aang.

"Blow all the wind you want, but your situation is futile." He snapped as he walked to the door, "There is no escaping this fortress and no one is coming to rescue you."

Aang watched him leave with scared eyes before he closed them and bowed his head.

* * *

"Water…" Sokka rasped after a particularly forcefully coughing fit.

"Momo should be back any minute." Katara stated softly, snuggling deeper into her sleeping bag next to Sokka and between Appa's feet.

Momo flew into the ruined building right then and hopped over to Katara with a happy chitter, dropping a dead mouse on her chest.

"Ugh! No, Momo, water. Wa-ter!" Katara rasped in disgust and Momo's ear perks up then he scampered away, "Aang, what in the word is taking you so long?"

* * *

Xiaodan pursed her lips as she sat across from Iroh at the small table in his room for dinner.

"I truly am sorry, my dear." Iroh apologized for the tenth time since Xiaodan had entered his room, but had remained steadfastly silent as she ate, "But you must understand, Prince Zuko is my nephew and I must help him in any way possible."

Xiaodan carefully placed her teacup on the table and folded her hands primly in her lap then looked Iroh straight in the eye.

"I understand, Iroh." She stated quietly but firmly, "But _you _must understand that Aang is my brother, we have been bonded as siblings since he was born. I will do _anything _within and beyond my abilities to protect him."

Iroh bowed his head in understanding, taking a sip of his tea as he watched the young white-haired woman eat the fruit on her plate with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Tonight is Music Night on the ship." Iroh stated after a few more moments of silence, "Would you care to join me?"

Xiaodan took a sip of her tea then nodded her head with a small smile, "Yes, thank you."

Iroh smiled happily and continued to eat his dinner, content with the knowledge that friendship he had formed with the young female Airbender wasn't completely damaged.

* * *

The Blue Spirit looked at the heavily armed fortress from the bushes carefully then quickly moved to the left and further down the road, keeping out of sight. Once he'd reached the good distance, the Blue Spirit slipped out into the road and laid down, covering himself with mulch and dirt to hid his body as he waited for the wagon he had seen earlier trundle up the road.

As soon as the wagon passed over him, the Blue Spirit lunged upward and clung to the bottom of the wagon tightly as it headed towards the fortress. He glanced to the side when the wagon stopped, watching the gate guards' feet as he walked around the wagon.

"All clear." One guard called out and the Blue Spirit watched as he walked around the wagon, pausing at the back to check inside the wagon briefly before moving to the other side.

Silently and stealthily, the Blue Spirit slipped out from under the wagon and into the back just as the guard ducked down the check the undercarriage.

"All clear." The guard called out again as he straightened then waved the wagon forward as the gates began to open, "Go on in."

The Blue Spirit looked out from the supply crates inside the wagon, watching as it passed through the three gates that closed right behind it. The Blue Spirit slipped from the wagon, ducking behind the supply crates that had been unloaded in the inner most part of the fortress, then raced towards the stairs that would take him into the actual fortress where the Avatar was being held prisoner.

* * *

"We are the sons and daughters of fire, the superior element!" Zhao stated, projecting his voice so that the soldiers below the balcony he was standing on would hear his speech, "Until today, only one thing has stood in our path to victory…The Avatar! I am here to tell you that he is now my prisoner!"

The soldiers below cheered loudly and Zhao smiled faintly, waiting for the cheers to die down then continued his speech.

"This is the year Sozin's Comet returns to grant us its power!" Zhao waited again for the cheers to die down, "This is the year the Fire Nation breaks through the walls of Ba Sing Se and burns the city to the ground!"

* * *

Aang growled as he struggled against the chains fiercely, pulling and straining but unable to get free. He stopped finally, panting heavily and his head hung low when he realized it was useless.

"What?" Aang muttered when he felt something his shirt start to move then the half-thawed frogs began to leap out of shirt and crawl across the ground, "No! Don't leave frogs. My friends are sick and they need you! Please go back to being frozen!"

The frogs ignored Aang's pleas and continued to pull their half-frozen bodies to the door, croaking loudly. Aang began to struggle against the chains again, silently pray that someone or something would be able to help him get out of this.

* * *

Standing outside the chamber, the four guards looked at each in confusion when they heard the unmistakable sounds of frogs' croaking. The soldiers looked down and all of them blinked in shock as partially frozen frogs began to appear from under the doorway. The four were distracted from the strange sight when a Fire Nation soldier's helmet suddenly came bouncing down the hall.

The guards looked at it then at each other, before the guard farthest on the left walked down the hall and turned the corner, disappearing from view. A burst of fire appeared suddenly followed by the sounds of a brief scuffle before going silent again. The remaining three guards looked at each other warily before two of them walked cautiously down the hall, their arms raised in a bending stance.

The two guards stare in shocked confusion at the first guard tied up and hanging from the ceiling. The two guards didn't have time to process before the one in the front was suddenly yanked into the air by his feet that had been wrapped in a chain while the other guard was knocked unconscious when the Blue Spirit had dropped from the ceiling and on top of him.

The fourth and last guard stood tensely by the door and reached for the horn hanging on the wall, only to stare with wide eyes when a dagger knocked it out of his hand. Glaring, the guard quickly shifted into a bending stance as the Blue Spirit raced down the hall towards him. The guard set a blast of fire from his fist, but the Blue Spirit doused the flames with a bucket of water he had in his hands. The Blue Spirit then swung the bucket and knocked the guard's legs out from under him, sending him crashing face-first into the metal floor.

* * *

Aang struggled against the chains, his lips pursed and brows furrowed in concentration when a noise outside the door distracted him and he looked up. The sounds of violence stopped suddenly and were replaced by the door's lock being turned and Aang stared at the door warily as it opened.

The young Airbender's eyes widened and he gasped when he saw a figure in a blue mask enter the room. Aang screamed in fear when the Blue Spirit suddenly unsheathed two dao swords and rushed at him, the swords swinging and slashing intricately.

Aang closed his eyes and flinched backwards as the Blue Spirit came close and brought the swords down, only to open his eyes a moment later when he felt the chains suddenly go slack. The bald boy pulled his arms back and looked at them in surprise then up at the Blue Spirit in surprised wonder.

The Blue Spirit stepped closer and cut the manacles from Aang's wrists with his swords then slashed the manacles on his ankles. The Blue Spirit put his dao swords back together and walked towards the door, leaving Aang to stare at his back in surprise.

"Who are you? What's going on?" Aang asked but the masked man continued to walk towards the door, "Are you here to rescue me?"

The Blue Spirit opened the door and peaked out, then motioned for Aang to follow him brusquely.

"I'll take that as a 'yes.'" Aang muttered as he hurried after his savior, blinking surprise when he saw the bound and gagged guard outside the door.

Aang followed a few steps behind the Blue Spirit when a sudden croaking grabbed his attention and he looked down one of the hallway junctions, gasping when he saw the partially frozen frogs on the floor.

"My frogs! Come back! And stop thawing out!" Aang yelped as he kneeled down and picked two of them up only to drop them again when the Blue Spirit came back, picked him up by the collar, and dragged him down the hallway.

"Wait!" Aang shouted as he reached for the frogs while the Blue Spirit dragged him down the hallway, "My friends need to suck on those frogs!"

* * *

"How many times do I have to tell you, Momo? We need water, wa-ter." Katara stressed in a weak voice after Momo had brought back another piece of junk then she rolled over, "Oh, forget it. Aang, please, hurry."

"Who's this 'Aang' kid you keep talking about, Your Highness?" Sokka asked deliriously, with a dopey smile on his face.

Katara rolled her eyes and her expression became annoyed.

* * *

Xiaodan laughed and clapped her hands after Lieutenant Jee had finished singing a rather beautiful love song with Iroh playing the tsungi horn.

"That was beautiful, Lieutenant Jee." The white-haired girl praised and smiled in thanks at the crewman that handed her a cup of water.

"Thank you, Miss Xia." Lieutenant Jee said with a faint blush staining his cheeks.

"It was very moving." Iroh agreed as he took a sip of tea then turned to face Xiaodan, "Do you sing, my dear?"

"Oh no," Xiaodan said with an emphatic shake of her head, "I can't sing to save my life and I can't play an instrument I can play is the dungchen."

She paused for a moment, her expression turning surprisingly shy as she ducked her head slightly to hide her face.

"I can dance though."

"Excellent!" Iroh exclaimed and picked up his tsungi horn, "Why don't you dance for us while Lieutenant Jee sings another song?"

The white-haired girl shrugged and got to her feet while Jee did the same. Iroh began playing a lively tune that was soon joined by Lieutenant's deep voice. Xiaodan closed her eyes and began to sway to the music, letting it carry her around the galley where music night was being held.

* * *

Aang followed the Blue Spirit as they walked silently through the sewer system under the fortress, the Blue Spirit occasionally looking up through the metal bars above them where soldiers were patrolling the grounds. The Blue Spirit paused and pulled himself up slightly so that he could look around the area then he dropped back down and faced Aang. The masked man pointed up at the grate then he hopped out, followed by Aang a moment later.

The two ran towards the wall where a rope was hanging from the top of the inner most wall of the fortress. The Blue Spirit gestured for Aang to start climbing then followed after him once he had gotten a few feet up the rope, then the alarm suddenly sounded. The two would-be escapees froze as the alarm rang out through the fortress.

"There!" One of the guards below pointed towards the Blue Spirit and Aang, "On the wall!"

Aang screamed when a guard on top of the wall cut the rope, sending him and the Blue Spirit plummeting towards the ground. Just before they hit the ground, Aang quickly Airbended the air around so that they landed softly on the ground, sending dust into the air.

The dust cleared and the Blue Spirit unsheathed his swords, pointing to the innermost gate with one of them and the two began running towards it.

"The Avatar has escaped!" Zhao shouted as he leaned over the balcony he had given his speech from only an hour or so ago, "Close all the gates immediately!"

The gate began to close and soldiers armed with spears rushed to block it while Aang and the Blue Spirit pushed themselves to run faster.

"Stay close to me!" Aang ordered as he ran in front of the Blue Spirit.

The bald boy ran slightly ahead then jumped forward slightly and sent a gust of air at the soldiers blocking the innermost gate, knocking them out of the way. Aang continued running for the rapidly closing gate but the Blue Spirit is forced to stop when two guards with spears attacked him, while more began to surround him.

Aang skidded to a stop and looked over his shoulder, seeing his rescuer was in trouble when a guard tried to impale him with a spear. The young Avatar grunted and grabbed the spear, hooking his leg over it and sending a blast of air at the guard's face which knocked him backwards. Aang quickly twirled the spear around then slammed the head against the ground, breaking it, he then raced forward to help the Blue Spirit while the gate closed behind him.

The Blue Spirit dodged the spears being jabbed at him then disarmed the guards rapidly but more kept surrounding him until suddenly the ones in front of him were blasted away by a gust of air. The Blue Spirit jumped up just another power gust knocked the rest of the guards away from him and Aang stood in front of him. Aang looked at his rescuer for a moment then used Airbending to catapult him to the top of the innermost wall, where he is instantly surrounded by more soldiers. The Blue Spirit looked at the guards on either side of him then Aang appeared, wrapping his legs around the Blue Spirit's torso as he spun the broken spear above his head and flew them into the next courtyard.

Aang struggled to the keep them both in the air while the Blue Spirit used his dao blades and feet to knock the spears being thrown at them away. Aang grunted and strained as he tried to keep them in the aloft before losing control just as they reached the second wall, sending htem tumbling down onto the top of it.

Aang rushed for the broken spear when the guards began to rush them from both sides but it was kicked away by one of the soldiers, who began swinging his sword at Aang. Aang ducked and dodged the blade, dancing around the guard until his back was to the Blue Spirit, who promptly threw the guard over the wall and into the last courtyard.

The Blue Spirit picked up his dao blades and moved to engage the group of guards in front of him but Aang Airbended them off of the wall. The two look at each for a moment before being distracted by the soldiers setting up ladders against the wall and quickly climbing them, Aang and the Blue Spirit working to knock the soldiers off the ladders as they reached the top.

Aang quickly jumped onto the edge of the wall where one ladder was leaning and sent a huge blast of air down it, knocking the soldiers off then the young Airbender did the same to the next later just the Blue Spirit knocked the last guard off the ladder in front of him.

The young Avatar grabbed the two emptied ladders and rushed over to where the Blue Spirit was standing in front of the cleared ladder in front of him.

"Take this." Aang ordered, passing one of the ladders to the Blue Spirit then he stepped onto the ladder still leaning against the wall with the other ladder held horizontally in his hands, "Jump on my back!"

The Blue Spirit quickly did as Aang told him, wrapping his legs around the bald boy's torso as he held the ladder horizontally while Aang used the ladder in his hands and the one he was standing on like massive stilts.

"Give me the next one!" Aang shouted as he dropped one of the ladders and the Blue Spirit handed Aang the ladder in his hands, just a Fire Nation soldier sends a blast of fire up ladder Aang and the Blue Spirit were standing on.

Thankfully though, Aang and the Blue Spirit were able to jump from the last ladder and towards the last wall. Aang grunted as he grabbed the edge of wall but his hand slipped, the Blue Spirit's hand grabbing the edge right after only to slip as well. The two fell to the ground below, landing on their backs with grunts of pain.

The Blue Spirit quickly rolled to his feet and unsheathed his dao swords just as four Firebenders cornered them around the last closed gate. The Firebenders launched a torrent of fire at them and Aang quickly grabbed the masked man by the shoulders, twirling him around then dissipating the fire with an air shield.

"Hold your fire!" Zhao ordered as he stalked forward to stand between two of the Firebenders, "The Avatar must be captured alive!"

Aang gasped quietly surprise when his rescuer suddenly crossed his dao blades in front of his throat. Zhao glared into the implacable black holes of the Blue Spirit's mask as the masked man shifted the dao blades even closer to Aang's throat.

"Open the gate." Zhao said through gritted teeth as he continued to glare heatedly at the masked figure.

"Admiral, what are you doing?" One of the higher ranking officers asked in shocked confusion.

"Let them out!" Zhao barked without looking away from the Avatar or the Blue Spirit, "Now!"

The gate opened and the Blue Spirit backed out slowly, keeping his swords against Aang's throat while also keeping his eyes on Admiral Zhao.

"How could you let them go?" the officer from before asked Zhao quietly.

"A situation like this requires…" Zhao's furious expression turned conniving as he smirked, "Precision."

* * *

Zhao watched the Blue Spirit back away from atop the main gate of the fortress.

"Do you have a clear shot?" The admiral asked without looking at the Yuyan archer standing beside him with an arrow drawn.

The Yuyan archer remained silent as he aimed the arrow at the Blue Spirit's head, but that was all the signal Zhao needed.

"Knock out the thief." Zhao ordered smugly as he watched the masked figure continue to back away with the Avatar, "I'll deliver him to the Fire Lord along with the Avatar."

The archer released his arrow and it soared through the air towards the Blue Spirit and Aang.

* * *

Xiaodan yawned tiredly as she collapsed on her sleeping mat in her metal room. It was nearly dawn and music night had only just ended, Iroh and the rest of the crew retiring for the rest of the evening after convincing her to dance to a few more times, after Iroh had compared her dancing to the grace of a hawk in flight.

Xiaodan snorted quietly in amusement as she remembered his strange compliment as she pulled the thin blanket over her body and curled up on her side with her hand under head. Her eyes drooped as sleep began to claim her, but just before she succumbed to exhaustion, Xiaodan wondered briefly where the firebug prince was and why he hadn't participated in music night.

* * *

The Yuyan archer's arrow soared through the air and struck the Blue Spirit in the head right over Aang's shoulder, a loud 'ping' filling the air when the arrow connecting with the mask. Aang turned around in shock as the Blue Spirit fell to the ground unconscious, the dao swords lying on the ground. His eyes widened further in horror when he saw a portion of his masked rescuer's face from the skewed mask.

Without thought, Aang spun back around and Airbended a huge cloud of dust around him and the Blue Spirit.

* * *

"Quick! Recover the Avatar!" Zhao ordered brusquely as the gate opened again and soldiers poured out, racing towards the giant dust cloud.

* * *

Aang kneeled beside the Blue Spirit's prone form and grabbed the blue mask, removing it from his rescuer's face and revealing Prince Zuko's scarred face. The young Airbender gasped and jerked backward in surprise, landing on his butt. Aang jumped up and started to run away then paused, looking back at Zuko's unconscious body with wide, compassion filled eyes.

Aang glanced up and saw the Fire Nation soldiers getting closer through the dissipating dust cloud, hesitating a moment before coming to a decision he knew would make Gyatso and Xiaodan proud.

* * *

The Fire Nation soldiers reached the spot on the road just as the dust cloud cleared completely and they all looked around in confusion when they realized nothing was there.

Zhao's face screwed up in rage as he glared furiously at the road which was empty save for his soldiers. His lips curled into a snarl and his fists clenched tightly at his sides, when a croaking sound by his feet drew his attention. His brown eyes narrowed when a slimy frog croaked again then leapt onto the edge of the main gate, then hopped over the side.

* * *

Zuko's eyes opened and he stared through bleary eyes at the green canopy with the sunlight filtering in above him then looked to the side where the Avatar was sitting on a large tree root a foot or so away from him. The young boy's knees were pulled up to his chest and his arms were wrapped around them while his chin rested on his arms, his expression forlorn. Zuko groaned quietly and he blinked, his vision beginning to clear just as the bald boy began to speak.

"You know the worst part of being born over a hundred years ago is?" The boy said suddenly without looking at the still dazed prince, "I miss all the friends Xia and I used to hang out with. Before the war started, we used to visit our friend Kuzon."

Zuko watched as the boy's forlorn expression turned to one of fond remembrance, "The three of us, we'd get in and out of _so _much mischief together, with Xia always having to bail Kuzon and me out of trouble."

Aang looked away then down at Zuko, " To Xia he was like another little brother and he was one of the best friends I ever had and he was Fire Nation, just like you. If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends too?"

Zuko blinked at the younger boy who was now smiling slightly at him then he rolled into a crouch and launched a huge fireball at Aang, but the young Avatar dodged backwards and used an air current to fly into the tree branches high above Zuko's head.

Aang paused on the branch above the prince and looked down at him while the prince looked up.

"I will be coming for Xia and if she's hurt…" Aang trailed off then turned and jumped from branch to branch, away from Zuko, leaving the threat hanging in the air behind him.

Zuko watched the boy jump away until he disappeared from sight then he looked away, his tense expression relaxing into a thoughtful one.

* * *

Iroh sat on a small stool on the main deck next to a low table with the monkey statue he had bought from the pirates at the port harbor a few weeks ago with Xiaodan sitting cross-legged on his other side. The white-haired girl's eyes were closed with her hands resting on her knees with her palms facing upward as she swayed gently to the soft sound of the tsungi horn, much like a serpent being charmed by a snake-charmer would.

Iroh suddenly stopped playing the instrument when he saw his nephew walk onto the deck from below while the riverboat was being reeled back into the ship.

"Where have you been, Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked cheerfully as he watched his nephew walk past, "You missed music night! Lieutenant Jee sang a stirring love song and Xia danced as if she were the wind itself."

Xiaodan, who had stopped swaying and her eyes opened languidly once the music stopped, stared curiously at the prince as he headed into the command tower.

"I'm going to bed." Zuko stated in a tired voice as he ignored what his uncle said and rubbed his head, "No disturbances."

Iroh gave his nephew's back a curious look before shrugging and began to play the tsungi horn again, which caused Xiaodan's eyes to shut as she began to sway gently again. Iroh watched out of the corner of his eye as the air seemed to dance around the girl, playfully lifting and tugging on her white hair.

* * *

Aang shuffled tiredly back into the ruined building where his ill friends were dozing in their sleeping bags on Appa's side, surrounded by piles of junk. He had spent the rest of the morning in the swamp gathering the frozen wood frogs after he had run away from Zuko and it was close to noon.

Keeping his head bowed slightly, Aang pulled two frozen frogs from his shirt and put one in Sokka's mouth then Katara's.

"Suck on these." He murmured tiredly, "It'll make you feel better."

Aang then shuffled over to Appa's tail and collapsed backwards onto it with a sigh, his mind drifting to Xiaodan as he stared up at the vine covered ceiling. He wondered if she was okay, the last time he had seen her was when he had been flying Appa out of the storm that had caused Katara and Sokka to get sick in the first place. She hadn't looked injured then, but her face had seemed pained and relieved at the same time when she had looked up at him as he flew away. He really, really hoped she was alright.

"Aang, how was your trip?" Sokka asked as he sucked on the frog, still slightly delirious from the fever as he pulled Aang from his thoughts, "Did you make any new friends?"

"No," Aang replied quietly as he rolled over and brought his knees to his chest, "I don't think I did."

* * *

Zuko stared at the metal ceiling of his cabin on the ship then he looked over at the large Fire Nation symbol hanging on his wall. He stared at it a moment in thought then rolled over so his back was to the emblem and shut his eyes tightly.

* * *

"Mmmm! This is tasty! Mmm!" Sokka mumbled as he sucked on the thing Aang had put in his mouth with a happy expression.

He didn't realize it was a frozen frog in his mouth until it thawed out and began struggling to remove itself from his mouth, croaking loudly as it struggled. Sokka's eyes widened and he jerked into a sitting position, spitting the thawed frog out of his mouth in disgust. Next to him, the frog in Katara's mouth had also thawed out and the young Waterbender cried out sharply in repugnance, the frog hopping out of her mouth with a seemingly annoyed croak.

The two siblings started spitting and gagging and Sokka even started rubbing his tongue against Appa's furry leg in a panicked attempt to clean it.

* * *

**Author's Note: This chapter is surprisingly not as long as the other two were, which I find surprising and a little confusing, but oh well. I hope everyone liked this chapter and no one was OOC. The next chapter will take place during Season 1 Episode 14: The Fortuneteller, which is going to be fun trying to write out since there is no Zuko in it…Anyhooties, that chapter will be posted on Friday, so stay tuned for that!**

**PS—Holy shee-at! As of this chapter, **_**Open Your Mind **_**has the second highest word count out of all 17 of my stories, with **_**Always Sunny **_**being the first with a total of 151, 193 words. **_**Open Your Mind **_**only has 13 (now 14) chapters will **_**Always Sunny **_**has 53! FIFTY-FREAKIN-THREE! And **_**Open Your Mind **_**is gonna be kicking its ass when it comes to the highest word count in the next few chapters, I just know it. But again HOLY FLIPPING FUDGE-CICLES! –insert head exploding here-**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are awesome and I lurves you in a totally unweirdo way!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**LadyAmazon: **No problem, I try to reply to all of my reviewers. I know what you mean about the chapter being a little sad, I was a little depressed writing it because it made me realize how sad I would be if my sister or brother were taking from me like that. Of course it also made me realize that I would beat the crap out of anyone that even _tried _do something like…Anyhooties, I hope Zuko wasn't OOC with him comforting Xia, even if it was at Iroh's encouragement. Also, I hope I did the Blue Spirit episode justice with this chapter and I hope you like it!

**Fabala Throp: **Awesome! I hope you like this chapter!

**Anon Guest: **Thank you, hope you like this chapter too!

**88dragon06: **Thank you, I'm glad you like the last chapter. It only seemed right to add Xia to the flashbacks if for nothing else than to show just how close she and Aang were before they got trapped in the iceberg. Haha, that was honestly one of my favorite parts of the last chapter, for some reason it seemed like a Zuko thing to do at the time (which I hope is right). Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Thanks, I hope you like this chapter too!

**Lirara xox: **Awesome, I hope you like this chapter!

**Ambrosia Maestro: **I know what you mean. I used to think Zuko was a totally jerk, hot but a jerk and then I saw this episode and I was like 'Ohhh, so that's why he acts like an uncaring, demanding, snotty asswipe. It totally makes sense now.' Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope the ending bit helped clear up just what Aang was thinking when he saw Xia on Zuko's ship when he was flying away. You would be sort of correct, he still sees her as a prisoner right now but there's a sort of grudging…respect I guess you could say, which is somewhat mutual. Anyhooties, I hope you liked the way I managed to incorporate Xia into this episodes, it was kind of a pain in the butt since it centered so much around Zuko and Aang in a place where Xia really had no business being. To answer your question, I haven't really decided when Xia will get back to the GAang to be honest. I write these chapters as I watch the episodes so inspiration just kinda pops out at me. Although, I do like your idea about Xia being rescued before the Northern Air Temple episode, though I'll have to figure out a way for her to possibly get captured again since I want to be able to show how Aang and Xia are able to survive without having the each other constantly watching the other's back. I also want to be able to set the base for Xia's character to grow into someone who can duel-bender two elements that are technically the spiritual opposite of each other, if either of those explanations make _any _sense. Anyhooties, long reply is done now and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Nicky0: **It's a great episode, isn't it? It's right up there with The Blue Spirit, The Deserter, The Northern Air Temple, The Waterbending Master, and The Siege of the North Part 1&2. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: **Haha, I'm glad you liked the Zukia interactions in the last chapter! Granted there aren't a lot in this chapter, I still hope you like this chapter! You know, I had actually thought about that, but the little Xiaodan in my head threatened to send a fiery tornado at me if I made her jealous of the Sugar Queen. Plus when I tried to picture that scene in my head, I had a freaking hard as hell time trying to see Xiaodan jealous, she just really isn't that type of girl to be honest. She too…what's the word… laid-back and easygoing to let something like that make her jealous. Now if she, say, found about the relationship Zuko and Mai have AFTER the Crossroads of Destiny episode, she might be a bit jealous and hurt about that. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!


	15. Chapter 15: The Fortuneteller

**AN: Chapter 15 takes place during Season 1 Episode 14: The Fortuneteller, not one of my favorite episodes but I hope I can make it work. Various POVs as usual, so enjoy lovelies!**

* * *

Xiaodan tapped her fingers lightly against the table as she stared at the Pai Sho board in front of her intently, her cheek resting against her fist. She was trying to ignore the smug, close-eyed smile on Iroh's face as she thought which tile to move in order to win the current game they were playing. She was also ignoring the crewmen standing behind them who were whispering and placing bets on who was going to win this round.

The white-haired girl's eyes narrowed for a moment then an impish smile quirked one corner of her mouth and she pushed one tile forward three spaces. Iroh gave a low chuckle and shook his head slowly.

"An interesting move, young one, but I'm afraid it…" Iroh started to say as he looked at the board smugly before doing a double take, "What? How?"

Xiaodan smiled smugly at the old man as he moved around the board in an attempt to find out how he had just lost a game he thought he was sure to win. Her smug smile grew when she heard some of the crewmembers grumbling behind her and the sound of money being exchanged.

"Looks like you lose again, old man." The pale-haired girl drawled as she leaned back on the hands only to squeal quietly and fall backwards when the door to the bridge was thrown open and Zuko stormed inside, startling everyone except Iroh.

"Uncle!" Zuko shouted, not even giving the white-haired girl sprawled out on the floor a glance.

"Yes, Prince Zuko?" Iroh questioned as he began to reset the Pai Sho board for a new game.

"You're supposed to be helping me train, Uncle!" Zuko retorted harshly, "And you're sitting here playing Pai Sho?!"

"More like losing at Pai Sho…" Xiaodan snickered behind her hand as she sat up and re-crossed her legs underneath her body.

"Silence!" The prince barked, whirling around to point a finger at the white-haired girl's face, "You're the reason he's even distracted!"

"I am not!" Xiaodan yelped indignantly as she jumped to her feet to glare up at the slightly taller teen with her hands on her hips.

"Yes, you are!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not, you fire-shooting insect!"

"Why you little-"

"Enough!" Iroh shouted as he stepped between the two arguing teens, who had ended up practically nose-to-nose as they continued to shout at each other, and he pushed them apart, "Instead of shouting at each other, why don't you two take your argument to the main deck and spar?"

Zuko and Xiaodan glared at each other over Iroh's head as they thought about Iroh's suggestion. After a moment, Xiaodan sniffed primly and took a step back, flicking her wrist dismissively.

"No, thank you." She stated coolly, "I think I'll go meditate instead."

Zuko growled lowly as he glared at her back then he smirked and crossed his arms over his chest., "What? Are you too scared, Airbender?"

"Of course not." Xiaodan stated as she paused at the entrance to the bridge and glanced over her shoulder at the triumphant expression on the prince's face with a condescending smile, "But I doubt Iroh would approve of me launching your steaming butt into the ocean."

Zuko's arms dropped to his sides and he sputtered with furious indignation as the white-haired girl practically flounced down the hall towards the stairs that would take her to her quarters.

Iroh hid an amused smile behind his hand as he watched steam escape his nephew's nose before the scarred teenage prince stomped out of the room, most likely towards the deck to practice his Firebending.

"Now, who wants to play this round?" The old man asked, looking expectantly at the crewmembers still in the room, all of which groaned and slapped their faces with their hands.

* * *

"Look!" Katara exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the lake they had decided to camp the night before just as a large fish jumped and landed in the water with a splash.

Sokka sat up and watched as the fish leapt into the air again and faced the group in mid-air then landed back in the water with a splash.

"Oh, he is taunting us!" Sokka grumbled as he jumped up and pointed at the fish as it jumped out of the water again, "You are so gonna be dinner!"

The Water Tribe boy ran to the fishing pole leaning against a log beside their tent and grabbed it, rushing back over to the edge of the lake and tried to cast the line, only for nothing to happen.

Sokka stopped swinging the fishing pole and brought it closer to his face to inspect it, "Hey, where's the fishing line?"

"Oh…I didn't think you would need it, Sokka." Aang said sheepishly from behind the older boy and he held up the intricately woven necklace with a red flower in the middle that he had made with the fishing line.

Sokka walked over and examined the necklace, then slapped his forehead and gestured to the necklace as he whined.

"Aw, it's all tangled!"

"Not tangled. Woven!" Aang protested slightly as he got to his feet with Airbending and faced Katara, "I made you a necklace. I thought since you lost your other one…"

He trailed off and held the necklace up between his hands, flashing a toothy grin at the dark-haired girl.

Katara smiled and walked over to him, taking the necklace as he handed it to her, "Thanks, Aang. I love it."

"Great, Aang." Sokka commented sarcastically as he rolled his eyes, "Maybe instead of saving the world, you can go into the jewelry-making business."

"I don't see why I can't do both." Aang said with a shrug and a grin, oblivious to the fact that Katara was putting on the necklace behind him.

Sokka scowled slightly and turned back to the lake just as the se tu fish jumped out of the water to continue its acrobatic display. The Water Tribe boy growled and hurled his useless fishing pole into the water in an attempt to spear the fish.

"Stop taunting me!" Sokka shouted angrily as the se tu jumped out of the water completely unharmed and Sokka charged into the lake after unsheathing his jawbone dagger, stabbing the water.

"So, how do I look?"

Aang turned around to face Katara, his bored expression instantly morphing into one of awe and amazement as he stared at the dark-haired. A blush appeared on the young Airbender's face as he looked at Katara who was smiling sweetly at him, blushing slightly with one hand behind her back while the other was touching the necklace Aang had made her. Aang tugged nervously at his collar and smiled nervously.

"You mean, all of your or just your neck?" He asked nervously then rubbed the back of his in embarrassment, "I mean, because both look great!"

Sokka emerged from the water with the se tu in his arms and he looked over at his sister and friend with a slight smirk.

"Smoochie, smoochie, someone's in love!" He sang and made kissing noises until the fish broke free from his grasp and slapped him in the face with its tail then dove back into the water.

"I…well, uh…" A blush appeared on Aang's face and he stuttered in embarrassment as Momo jumped onto his shoulder.

"Stop teasing him, Sokka. Aang's just a good friend." Katara snapped in an annoyed tone as she glowered at her brother and walked over to stand beside Aang with a smile and patted his head, "A sweet, little guy! Just like Momo."

"Thanks…" Aang muttered in dismay as he looked at the ground while Sokka walked out of the lake soaking wet and irritated.

Momo suddenly flew off Aang's shoulder when a loud growling roar came from a short distance away. The lemur landed on a rock with Aang landed beside him a moment later, his gray eyes going wide.

"Someone's being attacked by a platypus bear!" He said urgently as he pointed at the scene.

The platypus bear roared and rose onto its hind legs, swinging its claw-tipped paws at a man clad in blue. The man dodged to the side, smiling merrily as if nothing was wrong as he dodged another swipe of the platypus bear's claws.

"Well, hello there!" The man called out when he saw Aang land on a rock right behind the angry platypus bear and dodged another claw swipe, "Nice day, isn't it?"

"Make noise!" Aang shouted in reply, cupping his hand around his mouth, "He'll run off!"

"No!" Sokka refuted as he and Katara stop by the rock Aang was standing on, "Play dead! He'll lose interest!"

The platypus bear swung again and the man ducked, the sharp claws passing through the air where the man's head had been a moment ago.

"Whoa, close one!" The man said with a happy laugh as he continued to sidestep the angry hybrid animal's attacks.

Katara cupped one hand around her mouth and gestured with the other as she shouted, "Run downhill then climb a tree!"

"No, punch him in the bill!" Sokka suggested instead, punching his fist upward for emphasis.

"And then run in zigzags!" Aang added helpfully.

"No need," The man called out cheerily as he backed away, "It's going to be fine."

The platypus bear roared and swung both his paws one right after the other, but the man simple twisted around until he was sitting cross-legged on the ground and the claws passed harmless over his head and cut deeply into the tree behind him instead.

Aang jumped into the air and flipped over the enraged creature, sending up a wave of air as he landing in front of it with his hands raised defensively.

"Whoa there!" He shouted, hands held up in preparation to attack.

The platypus bear reared up further onto its hind legs and roared loudly at Aang when Appa suddenly appeared behind the smaller creature and bellowed, which caused the platypus bear's fur to bristle with fear and lay a large spotted egg before escaping into the water and swimming down river.

"Mmm, lunch!" Sokka exclaimed joyfully as he picked up the egg and sniffed it then turned to the man still sitting on the ground, "Lucky for you, we came along."

"Thanks, but everything was already under control. Not to worry." The man stated as he rose to his feet and walked closer to the trio, "Aunt Wu predicted I'd have a safe journey."

"Aunt who?" Aang asked in confusion, quirking an eyebrow at the strange man.

"No, Aunt _Wu_." The man clarified then explained, "She's the fortuneteller from my village. Awful nice knowing your future."

"Wow, it must be." Katara mused thoughtful as she looked off to the side then back to the man with a bright expression, "That explains why you were so calm!"

"But the fortuneteller was wrong!" Sokka protested loudly in exasperation, "You didn't have a safe journey, you were almost killed!"

"But I wasn't!" The man said cheerfully as he began to walk away, "Alright, have a good one!"

The trio watch him walk a few steps then turn back around as if just remembering something.

"Oh, and Aunt Wu said if I met any travelers to give them this." He stated and pulled a long, wrapped parcel from his back, handed it to Aang then continued on his journey.

Sokka eyed the man suspiciously, still clutching the platypus bear egg in his arms.

"Maybe we should go see Aunt Wu and learn our fortunes." Katara suggested excitedly, "It could be fun."

"Oh, come on." Sokka groaned in exasperation while Aang began to unwrap the parcel, "Fortune telling is nonsense!"

Aang blinked in surprise when an umbrella was revealed then opened the umbrella.

"What do you know? An umbrella." He said with a small smile as he lifted it above his head just as the sky darkened, low rumble of thunder filling the air as it began pouring rain.

Katara quickly Waterbended an arched shield over her head to keep herself from getting wet as she hurried over to huddle under the umbrella with Aang.

"That proves it!" She stated happily with a smug look at Sokka who was using the egg in an attempt to shield himself from the rain.

"No, it doesn't!" He protested vehemently, "You can't _really _tell the future!"

"I guess you're not _really _getting wet then." His sister retorted smugly.

The Water Tribe boy suddenly lost his grip on the egg and Sokka tried to catch it as it flew a few inches into the air but he missed it and it landed on his head with splat. A scowl formed on his face as he glared at the space in front of him.

* * *

"Oh, Iroh look at this!" Xiaodan called out excitedly to the old man as she stood in front of small merchant stall selling tea sets and held out a beautiful dark brown clay teapot with an intricate gold dragon painted on it.

"That is lovely." Iroh practically cooed as he took the delicate teapot from the white-haired girl's hands and began to inspecting it carefully, "Very good eye, my dear. This is finely crafted indeed."

Zuko groaned and palmed his face as he scowled at both of them in annoyance. They had stopped at this harbor to pick restock on some supplies only but somehow his conniving prisoner had managed to convince his uncle to let her come with them to the market. Iroh had naturally agreed, ignoring Zuko's vehement protests that she should stay aboard the ship and locked in her room where she couldn't try and escape. Clearly, he had lost that argument since he had been trailing Iroh and Xiaodan around the market for the better part of two hours.

"Ooh and look at the little matching teacups!" Xiaodan stated as she bent down to inspect the delicate clay cup that had a smaller version of the dragon that was on the teapot, "They have little dragons painted on them too!"

Iroh smiled at her and set the teapot down, turning to face the merchant, "I'll take this set, if you please."

The merchant bowed his head and picked up the tea set and began to carefully wrap them in cloth then set them in a small box which he passed to Iroh. The old man passed the box to Xiaodan to hold while he paid the merchant.

"Thank you." Xiaodan chirped politely and clutched the small box to her chest as she and Iroh continued to walk around the market, with a glowering Zuko stomping behind them angrily.

"I can't believe you wasted money on another tea set, Uncle." Zuko grouched quietly to Iroh when he had stopped to look at another stall while keeping a careful eye on the white-haired Airbender who was inspecting something curiously a few stalls down.

"It is a finally crafted piece, Prince Zuko." Iroh stated calmly as he picked up a fan from the stall and flicked it open then closed, smiling serenely at his nephew, "Besides, I think it would make a nice gift for Miss Xia."

"Ugh!" Zuko groaned and smacked his forehead, running his hand down his face in exasperation, "You're not supposed to give prisoners gifts, Uncle!"

Iroh just shrugged his shoulders and ambled over to where Xiaodan was inspecting some herbs and tea leaves interestedly, leaving Zuko fuming at the fan merchant's stall with steam practically coming out of his ears.

* * *

"Of course she predicted it was going to rain." Sokka grumbled as he walked down the path to the village in the rain next to Katara and Aang who were under the umbrella, "The sky's been gray all day!"

"Just admit you might be wrong and you can come under the umbrella." Katara stated with a slight smile as she kept in step with Aang.

"Look, I'm going to predict the future now." Sokka stated sarcastically, then hopped from foot-to-foot and waved his hands in an exaggerated way, "It's going to keep drizzling."

The rain continued to fall steadily and Sokka gave Katara and Aang a smug look.

"See?"

Suddenly the rain stopped and the sky became lighter, a bird chirping happily from the woods on either side of the path. Aang tilted the umbrella back slightly so he and Katara could look at the surprisingly clear sky.

"Not everyone has the gift, Sokka." Aang stated in amusement, "If it makes you feel better, Xia couldn't predict the future either."

Sokka scowled at the bald boy as the other two continued walking under the umbrella at a leisurely pace ahead of him. Appa plodded after them then paused beside the Water Tribe boy briefly to shake the water from his wet fur, soaking Sokka in the process.

"Agh!" Sokka groaned in disgust, throwing his hands in the air.

* * *

Katara and Aang walked through the village with Sokka trailing behind them slightly, giving the quacking turkey-ducks a suspicious look as he walked by them.

"Aunt Wu is expecting you." A strange man dressed in black robes stated suddenly as the group was about to pass by a round doorway.

"Really?" Katara asked excitedly and Sokka scoffed as the man opened the door for them.

The trio slipped off their shoes as they entered the building and looked around curiously just as a young girl in a pink robe with her hair in two braids that stuck out from the sides of her head entered from the back area.

"My name is Meng and I'm Aunt Wu's assistant." The girl stated as she looked up at the trio, her eyes going wide as she stared at Aang.

Her expression became dreamy as she looked at him, but Aang had a bored expression on his face as he slumped his shoulders slightly.

"Well, hello there." Meng stated with a please smile.

Aang rubbed his nose disinterest, "Hello."

"Can I get you some tea or some of Aunt Wu's special bean curd puffs?" Meng asked sweetly as she gestured to the three pillows on one side of the room and Katara and Aang sat themselves on the two pillows furthest from the entrance.

"I'll try a curd puff." Sokka said brightly before he sat down but Meng held up her index finger at him, her eyes never leaving Aang.

"Just a second." She said then crouched down slightly so her face was level with the bald boy's, "So what's your name?"

"Aang."

"That rhymes with Meng!" The young girl said delightedly as she beamed at Aang, "And you've got some pretty big ears, don't you?"

"Er, I guess?" Aang replied awkwardly as he shifted on the pillow.

"Don't be modest!" Sokka teased as he sat down on the last pillow and spread his arms out wide for emphasis, "They're huge!"

Aang glared at Sokka and covered his ears with his hands in embarrassment as Meng began to back away.

"Well, Aang, it's very nice to meet you." She said as she turned away and smiled slyly to herself, "_Very _nice."

"Likewise." Aang called out as Meng disappeared into the backroom of building.

"I can't believe we're here in the house of nonsense." Sokka complained as he wiggled the toes of his outstretched foot.

"Try to keep an open mind, Sokka." Katara chided gently before her tone became excited, "There are things in this world that just can't be explained. Wouldn't it be nice to have some insight to your future?"

"It would be nice to have some bean curd puffs." The older Water Tribe sibling stated nonchalantly.

Meng walked back towards the front room with a tray in her hands when a woman in green robes stepped out of a door in the hallway and hurried over to the younger girl.

"Oh Meng!" The woman exclaimed excitedly as she stood in front of Meng with her hands clasped to her chest, "Aunt Wu says I'm going to meet my true love. He's going to give me a rate panda lily!"

"That's so romantic!" Meng gushed dreamily and cast a flirtatious look over her shoulder Aang, "I wonder if my true love will give _me _a rare flower."

"Good luck with that." Aang called out breezily with a grin.

The woman giggled and looked at Aang briefly then back at Meng, "Is that the big-eared guy who Aunt Wu predicted you'd marry?"

Meng blushed brightly and pushed the woman aside then continued on her way into the front room with the tray of bean curd puffs and tea. She kept her eyes on Aang, who was staring blankly into space and completely unaware of her presence, as she walked towards the trio when she suddenly tripped forward. Aang quickly reached out and caught her hands underneath the tray in an attempt to help and the two looked at each other for a moment then Meng blushed brightly.

"Enjoy your snack!" She squeaked nervously and hurriedly backed away.

As soon as she left the room, Sokka snatched the tray of bean curd puffs from Aang and was about to shove one in his mouth when an middle-aged woman in yellow robes entered the room.

"Welcome, young travelers." Aunt Wu greeted the trio with a small smile, "Now, who's next? Don't be shy."

Sokka looked away uninterestedly and Aang looked away from him towards Katara with a quirked brow.

"I guess that's me." The dark-haired girl said with anticipation as she got to her feet and followed Aunt Wu into the back room, leaving Aang and Sokka sitting idly on the floor in the front room.

Sokka grabbed one of the bean curd puffs and shoved it in his mouth, his expression becoming delighted.

"Mm, not bad, not bad!" He stated through a mouthful of curd puffs then held the bowl out to Aang, "Mhm?"

"I'm good on puffs." Aang said as he gently pushed the bowl away and Sokka shrugged, continuing to shovel the curd puffs into his mouth while Aang tried to act casually, "So… What do you think they're talking about back there?"

"Boring stuff I'm sure." Sokka stated casually as he held up one of the teacups, "Love, who's she gonna marry, how many babies she's gonna have."

"Yeah…Dumb stuff like that…" Aang agreed tensely then began to bite his fingers before jumping to his feet, "Well, I've got to find a bathroom!"

He rushed out of the front room and Sokka stretched out across the now vacated pillows, keeping himself propped up on his elbow with his head on his hand and eats another bean curd puff. While he's eating, Momo sneakily snatched the bowl and rushed away to hide with it. Unaware that the bowl is gone, Sokka reached to grab another puff then snapped his eyes open and groaned when he realized the bowl was gone.

* * *

Aang glanced down the hallway then quietly tiptoed to the door Aunt Wu had lead Katara too, crouching down so he could press his ear to the door.

"You're palms are so smooth." Aunt Wu's voice filtered through the door, "Do you use moisturizer?"

"Actually, I have this special seaweed lotion. I can get you some if you want." Katara's voice sounded and Aang made a face, sticking his tongue out then froze when Katara started talking again.

"So, do you see anything in my love line?"

Aang perked up instantly and pressed his ear closer to the door.

"I feel a great romance for you." Aunt Wu predicted dramatically, "The man you are going to marry…"

"Tell me more!" Aang heard Katara exclaim excitedly and he tried not to breathe so he could hear what the fortuneteller said next.

"I can see that he is a very powerful bender."

Aang grinned mischievously when he heard Aunt Wu say this and he jumped into the air in delight as he gently lowered himself back to the ground and hurried back to the front room, where Sokka was picking his teeth.

"Looks like someone had a pretty good bathroom break." Sokka stated as he watched Aang strut into the room with a goof y grin on his face.

"Yeah…" Aang said quickly in an attempt to explain as he gestured over his shoulder with his thumb, "When I was in there-"

Sokka looked away in disgust and held his hand up to stop Aang from finishing, "I don't even want to know!"

"Who's next?" Aunt Wu asked as she reentered the room with Katara and Sokka got to his feet with an exasperated sigh.

"Okay, let's get this over with."

"Your future is full of struggle and anguish." Aunt Wu stated drily, "Most of it self-inflicted."

"But you didn't even read my palms or anything!" Sokka protested, holding up his hands in confusion.

"I don't need to. It's written all over your face." The fortuneteller deadpanned and Sokka resumed picking his teeth in disgust while Aunt Wu gestured to Aang, "You there, come with me."

Aang followed Aunt Wu out of the front room and into a large, dimly lit room that had four support pillars and there were four cushions situated around a small fire in the center of the room and off to the side sat a jug of bones.

"This is the most reliable method of telling your fortune. The bones never lie." Aunt Wu stated as she and Aang approached the jug, then gestured for Aang to take one, "Go on, pick one."

Aang grabbed a random bone and the two sat down on two of the pillows.

"Now throw it on the fire." Aunt Wu instructed and Aang did as she said, "The heat makes cracks in the bone and I read the bone cracks to tell your destiny."

A large crack suddenly splintered down the side of the bone, causing Aunt Wu and Aang to look at in surprise.

"Wow, that's a big crack." Aang commented, watching as more cracks began to appear on the bone.

"I've never seen this before!" Aunt Wu stated in shock as the bone began to crack even more until it exploded, sending a bust of flames up to the ceiling.

"Oh my!" Aunt Wu gasped as she and Aang looked at the shattered bone pieces lying in the fire, "Your destiny! This is incredible. You will be involved in a great battle, an awesome conflict between the forces of good and evil. A battle whose outcome will determine the fate of the world!"

"Yeah, yeah, I knew that already!" Aang groaned in exasperation then leaned forward to look at the fortuneteller eager, "But did it say anything about a girl?"

"A girl?" Aunt Wu asked in surprise, "You want to know about _love_?"

"Yes!"

"I'm sorry," The woman apologized, "But I didn't see anything."

Aang looked down at his lap in disappointment, causing Aunt Wu's face to soften with compassion.

"Well, look!" She exclaimed suddenly, holding her hand to her face in forgetfulness, "I must have missed something."

Aang watched as she picked up a particularly large and sharp bone fragment from the floor.

"Right here." She stated as she began to examine the fragment, "It says 'trust your heart and you will be with the one you love.'"

"Really?" Aang asked excitedly and jumped to his feet joyfully, "Thank you, Aunt Wu."

He made to run out of the room then paused and turned back.

"Can I ask you one more question?"

Aunt Wu gave him a surprised look then smiled and nodded her head, gesturing for him to retake his seat which he did, "Of course. What would you like to know?"

"Can you tell me if I'll ever meet up with my sister again?" Aang asked quietly as he sat down, his hands folded in her lap, "Her name is Xiaodan and she was captured by the Fire Nation. I want to-no, I need to know if I'll ever see her again."

"Let me see your hand." Aunt Wu said, holding her hand to Aang.

The young Airbender put his hand in the elderly fortuneteller's and waited somewhat impatiently as she inspected it, occasionally tracing certain lines with the tip of her finger. Finally, she released his hand and gave him a soft smile.

"The one you seek will soon join you on your journey, but in at a time you least expect it."

Aang gave her a wide smile, his gray eyes hopefully as he jumped to his feet again, "Thank you again, Aunt Wu!"

Aunt Wu shook her head and put her hand to her forehead in exasperation as the young boy raced out of the room gleefully.

* * *

Xiaodan stood on the main deck and tested the balance of the makeshift glider she was crafting from a lightweight but sturdy staff she had gotten at the small market at the harbor the ship had just left. She had bought the staff on an impulse and the crazy idea that she could make another glider for herself since her other one was hopefully still strapped to Appa's saddle.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The white-haired girl held the staff defensively in front of her as she whirled around to face Prince Grumpy-Pants. The prince's unscarred eye narrowed slightly as he looked from the girl to the staff then back again then he raised his eyebrow as if to dare her to attack him.

"Well?" He demanded after a moment when she did nothing but stare silently at him with the staff held protectively in front of her.

Xiaodan stared at him quietly for another moment then twirled the staff around a few times before resting one end on the deck and leaning against it nonchalantly.

"You are very demanding, did you know that?" She quipped casually and quirked a dark brow at him, a small mischievous smirk tugging at the corner of her lips while her orange eyes glittered with mirth.

Zuko's eye twitched slightly and he clenched his fists then spoke through gritted teeth, "What are you doing, girl?"

Xiaodan heaved a dramatic sigh and straightened up, twirling her staff so it rested against her shoulders and her arms hung off it.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Oh Prince of the Glowbugs?" She drawled then she tilted her head to the side slightly when all Zuko did was glare heatedly at her, "I'm trying to build another glider."

"Why?" He barked, instantly on alert as he moved to snatch the staff from her but Xiaodan dance away on light feet, "Going to try and escape?"

"If I was going to try and escape, I wouldn't tell you, you idiot." She snapped as she ducked away from his again, swinging the staff off her shoulders and holding it defensively in front of her again, "Besides, a lot of good a glider will do me when I'm in the _middle of the_ _ocean_."

The banished prince stopped trying to take the staff away and glowered at her through dangerously narrowed eyes.

"You better not try to escape, peasant. Or else." He snarled aggressively and pointed a finger at her face then he turned and stalked back into the command tower, leaving Xiaodan on the deck with her staff.

"You better not try to escape, peasant." She mocked in a spot on impression of the firebug, "Or else. Pfft…Stupid boy."

The pale-haired Airbender rolled her eyes and continued testing the staff's balance, strength, and flexibility. She was completely unaware of the gold eyes that watched her from the observation deck of the command tower.

* * *

"Well, now you got to see for yourselves how fortune telling is just a big, stupid hoax." Sokka stated as the three walked down the street and away from Aunt Wu's building with Appa tromping behind them.

"You're just saying that because you're going to make yourself unhappy your whole life." Katara retorted smugly, crossing her arms over chest as she looked over at her brother.

"That woman is crazy!" Sokka said angrily as his voice rose, "My life will be calm and happy and joyful!"

He kicked a nearby stone roughly which soared through the air them ricocheted off a hanging metal sign and flew back at him, hitting Sokka in the head where he had been standing breezily with his arms crossed. Sokka wrapped his arms around his head in pain and fell to the ground with a groan.

"That doesn't prove _anything_!" He shouted in protest, lifting his arm to emphasis his point.

"Well, I liked my predictions." Katara said happily then clapped her hands together with anxious anticipation, "Certain things are going to turn out very well."

Aang grinned slyly and crossed his arms, leaning towards the dark-haired girl slightly, "They sure are…"

"Why?" Katara asked, turning to look at him curiously, "What did she tell you?"

"Some stuff." Aang said vaguely as he straightened and smiled, "You'll find out."

Katara smiled and turned to continue walking down the street with Aang following after her, folding his hands behind his head in contentment. The trio walked towards the center of the village where a bunch of the villagers stood looking at the sky.

"What's with the sky?" Katara asked as the three stopped beside the man that had given them the umbrella earlier in day.

"We're waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds to predict the fate of the whole village." The man explained calmly as he continued to stare at the blue sky.

"That cloud kinda looks like a fluffy bunny." Aang stated as he pointed at one of the clouds and the calm man turned to look at him seriously.

"You better hope that's not a bunny!" The man said slightly worried as he looked back up at the sky, "The fluffy bunny cloud forecasts doom and destruction."

Sokka gave the man a disgusted look, "Do you even hear yourself?"

"The cloud reading will tell is if Mount Makapu will remain dormant for another year or if it will erupt." A village woman said and pointed to the mountain in the distance.

"We used to have a tradition once a year of going up to the mountain to check on the volcano ourselves." The calm man stated then smiled, "But ever since Aunt Wu moved to the village twenty years ago, we have a tradition of _not _doing that."

"I can't believe you would trust your lives to that crazy, old woman's superstition!" Sokka exclaimed in disbelief as he put his hands on his hips.

Katara glanced behind her and put a hand on Sokka's shoulder, "Shh! She's coming!"

Sokka groaned and palmed his face at his sister's words, watching through his fingers as Aunt Wu walked up the stairs to the center of the village with her guard, the villagers forming an aisle for the two pass as they clapped and cheered.

"Hey, Aang." Meng said suddenly as she appeared beside the Airbender and pointed to the sky, "Don't you think that cloud looks like a flower?"

"Huh? Sure, I guess…" Aang agreed awkwardly then he nudged the girl away and turned to Katara, pointing to the same cloud, "Hey, Katara, don't you think that cloud looks like a flower?"

"Shh!" Katara shushed him in annoyance as she looked at Aunt Wu excitedly, her hands clasped in front of her chest so she didn't see the disappointed look on Aang's face at being shushed.

The crowd watched as Aunt Wu stepped onto the pagoda and spread her arms out dramatically then pulled a small book from her sleeve and looked up at the sky.

"Bending arrow cloud…" She said thoughtfully as she looked at the book, "Good crops this year. Nice big harvest."

"Darn good news!" A farmer exclaimed with a smile as he hugged his wife to him happily.

"Wavy, moon-shaped cloud…Let's see." Aunt Wu flipped a few pages of her book then smiled and nodded her head, "Gonna be a great year for twins!"

The two twin boys in the village, Poi and Ping high-fived and cheered, "Yes!"

Aunt Wu looked up at the sky thoughtfully then down at her book, "And a cumulus cloud with a twisted nob coming off the end of it…"

Her lips pursed then she spread her arms out grandly with a smile, "The village will _not _be destroyed by the volcano this year!"

The crowd of villagers cheered ecstatically with Aang and Katara standing amongst the villagers.

"Since I got you here, uh, there's something I want to tell you." Aang said slightly nervously and he looked up at Katara, "I like you, but more than normal."

Katara didn't seem to hear him as she ran off to follow the fortuneteller, completely enthralled with the woman and her predictions. Aang watched Katara run off with a crestfallen face.

"Never mind…" He muttered sadly as he scuffed his foot against the ground.

* * *

Katara gently knocked on the thin wooden door that lead into Aunt Wu's chamber then stepped back with her hands clasped behind her back.

"Hi, Aunt Wu!" the dark-haired girl greeted happily when the fortuneteller slid the door open, "Sorry to bother you."

"Any time." Aunt Wu replied with a slight smile.

"About this man I'm supposed to marry…" Katara started to say somewhat awkwardly as she blushed, "Is he going to be handsome? Oh, I hope he's tall!"

"Ah…" Aunt Wu said when she realized why the young Water Tribe girl was here, "You want another reading?"

"Yes, please!"

Aunt Wu stepped aside and gestured for Katara to come inside. The dark-haired girl hurried into the room and sat down, looking eagerly at the fortune teller.

* * *

"I can't believe all these saps!" Sokka exclaimed as he stomped through the village angrily with Aang following close behind, "Someone really needs to scream some sense into them."

"They seem happy, Sokka." Aang stated matter-of-factly.

"Not for long. I'm going to prove Aunt Wu' predictions are nonsense." The cynical teenage boy stated then grabbed a man wearing bright red shoes, "Hey you, I bet Aunt Wu told you to wear those red shoes, didn't she?"

"Yeah." The man replied with a bright smile as he looked at his shoes, "She said I'd be wearing red shoes when I met my true love."

"Uh huh… And how many times have you worn those shoes since you got that fortune?"

"Everyday." The man answered sheepishly.

"Then of course it's gonna come true!" Sokka shouted in angry exasperation at the man.

"Really? You think so?" The man asked in delight as he began to walk away, "I'm so excited!"

Sokka's eye twitched and in a fit of anger he kicked a nearby stone which flew through the air and hit a turkey duck. Sokka yelped and waved his arms around his face when the turkey duck flew at him and began to peck his head, it even began flying after him when he tried to run away. Aang watched scene with a quirked brow and shook his head.

* * *

"And then you will have your third great-grandchild before quietly passing away in your sleep." Aunt Wu stated as she traced her finger along Katara's palm then left the dark-haired girl's hand go, "Is that enough information for you?"

"Wow, thanks, Aunt Wu." Katara said as she looked at her palm in amazement then got to her feet to leave, but paused and turned back to face the fortuneteller, "Oh wait, one more thing. How warmly should I dress tomorrow?'

"You want me to do a reading for _that_?" Aunt Wu asked in exasperation, her shoulders slumped slightly.

Katara nodded enthusiastically, with an almost manic grin spreading across her face.

* * *

"I don't care what Aunt Wu told you!" Sokka screamed at the filthy old man standing in front of him, clutching his head in frustration, "You have to bath sometime!"

The dirt and grime covered man shrugged, grunted, and walked away with a happy smile on his filthy face.

"So, Sokka, you know some stuff about ladies, right?" Aang asked, trying to be casually as he looked at the older boy in slight nervousness.

"Some stuff?" Sokka asked with a pleased look, then he placed his arm around Aang's shoulders, "You've come to the right place. What can I do for you?"

"Well, there's this girl…"

"I think I know who you mean." Sokka stated with a smirk as he caught sight of Aunt Wu's assistant hiding behind a barrel a few feet away.

"You do?" Aang asked, surprised that Sokka might know about his crush on his sister, "And you're okay with it?"

"Of course I am!" Sokka said, still thinking the younger boy was talking about Meng, "And to tell you the truth, I've been picking up a subtle vibe that she likes you, too."

"She does?" Aang asked, growing slightly anxious and excited as he looked at Sokka, complete unaware of Meng trying to get his attention from behind him.

"Oh yeah, she's crazy about you." Sokka reaffirmed with a grin as he tried not to stare directly at Meng, "All you have to do now is not mess it up."

"Well, how do I do that?"

"The number one mistake nice guys like you make," Sokka explained matter-of-factly, "Is being too nice."

"You can be too nice?" Aang questioned in naïve confusion.

"Yep." Sokka said with a nod, "If you want to keep her interested, you have to act aloof, like you don't really care one way or the other."

"Well…okay." Aang said unsurely just as Meng began to approach him.

"Hey, Aang, I was wondering…"

"See you later…" Aang called out as he breezed past Meng with a casual wave over his shoulder at Sokka.

Meng sighed and her shoulders dropped in disappointment as she watched the bald boy walk away.

"Wow, that kid is good." Sokka muttered, crossing his arms with an impressed expression on his face as he looked at Aang.

* * *

"And you'll be fine as long as you've got a scarf." Aunt Wu snapped impatiently as she pushed the dark-haired Water Tribe girl out of her building, "Bye-bye now!"

"Okay, okay," Katara said, catching on to the fortuneteller's impatience then she held up a finger, "But one more thing."

Aunt Wu gave Katara a horrified look, then sighed and leaned forward in surrender, "Alright, what is it?"

Katara tapped her chin thoughtfully then her expression brightened, "Should I eat a mango or a papaya for breakfast tomorrow?"

"Papaya!" Aunt Wu snapped angrily then slammed the door shut.

"Aww, I hate papaya…" Katara muttered with a pout as she kicked at the ground.

"Oh, hey, Katara." Aang said suddenly as he leaned casually against the wall of Aunt Wu's building, "I didn't see you there."

"Hey, Aang." Katara greeted half-heartedly as she walked away, towards the village market to pick up a papaya.

"That's okay. I'm busy with my own stuff." Aang called out to the girl's retreating back as watched her walk away.

A turkey duck landed beside him and he looked at it for moment, then it quacked loudly at him.

* * *

Katara frowned as she stood at the fruit stand in the village, her nose scrunched up in distaste, "Ugh, papaya please."

The fruit merchant handed her the green fruit and Katara turned slightly, blinking in surprise when she saw Aang leaning against the stall with Momo perched on his shoulder.

"So…papaya…" He drawled in an aloof voice and Katara gave him a strange look.

"Uh huh." Katara confirmed with a quirked brow, "Would you like some?"

"You know me." Aang stated as he casually picked up an apple from the stand, tossing it in the air, "I don't really care what I eat."

"Okay then." Katara said as she started walking away, "See you later."

Aang took a bite of the apple as she walked away only to spit it out a moment later in disgust.

"Maybe aloof isn't my style…" Aang muttered as he looked at the ground sadly, "I wonder what kind of advice Xia would give me?"

Aang paused in his musings when he saw a man and the woman he'd seen in Aunt Wu's building earlier standing across the street from him. He watched curiously as the man handed the woman a black and white flower, and the woman's expression turned delighted.

"Oh, a panda lily!" The woman exclaimed happily as she took the flower, then embraced the man.

"Did you see that?" Aang asked Momo, looking at impressed as he looked at the couple.

Aang hurried over to the couple and popped up between them, pointing to the flower in the woman's hand.

"Excuse me," He said with a slight grin as he gestured to the flower, "Where can a guy find one of those things?"

* * *

Xiaodan hummed quietly to herself as she continued the tedious task of hollowing out the staff she had bought from the market while leaning against the outside of the command tower while listening to Iroh bark out instructions to Zuko as he practiced Firebending with Lieutenant Jee.

"Again!" Iroh barked sternly, his hands folded inside his sleeves as he watched his nephew critically, "Remember you basics, Prince Zuko!"

Xiaodan looked away from her task to observe the grumpy prince for a moment, quite curious as to how Firebending techniques had changed in the last hundred years. Her eyebrows rose as she watched Zuko punch and kick fire at Zuko in an almost sporadic way.

"Apparently, Firebending has changed a lot in a hundred years…" She murmured quietly and went back to hollowing out her staff, not really paying attention to the bending practice taking place a few feet in front of her as she reminisced about making her first glider with Monk Gyatso's help.

* * *

"I can't believe you're dragging me all the way up here for a stupid flower." Sokka complained as he followed Aang up Mount Makapu, huffing in annoyance when the younger boy used Airbending to jump upward along the rocky outcroppings.

"Not just any flower, a panda lily." Aang stated he paused on one of the rocks and looked down at Sokka, "I've seen it in action and boy, does it work."

"Flowers are fine once your married, but at this early stage, it's critical that you maintain maximum aloofness." Sokka retorted as he scaled the mountain, panting slightly.

"But my heart is telling me to get this flower," Aang explained to Sokka as he looked up at the rim of the mountain, "And Aunt Wu said if I trusted in my heart, I will be with the one I love."

Aang glanced down at Sokka again with a slight grin, "Besides when I saw that man give that lady the panda lily, it reminded me of the time when one of the boys at the temple gave Xia a flower. She was giddy for days afterwards."

Sokka quirked an eyebrow at that but shook his head and asked in an irritated voice, "What? Don't tell me you believe in that stuff, too."

Aang perched on a boulder not too far from the rim of the mountain and waited for Sokka to climb up to him as he replied, "Well, Aunt Wu hasn't been wrong yet. Why should she be wrong about love?"

Aang jumped upward and pointed happily at the rim of the mountain where a bunch of panda lilies were growing, "There! On the rim!"

Aang jumped from rock to rock until he reached the rim then he picked on of the panda lilies and brought it to his nose, smiling at the sweet fragrance. He opened his eyes and then stared in shock when he saw the volcano was full of lava and ready to erupt.

"Oh no…" Aang whispered in shock as Sokka joined him on the rim and stared at the lava, "Aunt Wu was wrong."

The panda lily slipped from Aang's hand and fell into the bubbling lava, bursting into flames before it even made contact.

"Those people all think they're safe!" Sokka shouted urgently as he turned to Aang, "We've got to warn them!"

"There's no time to walk!" Aang stated and whipped out his glider, snapping it open, "Grab on!"

Aang yanked Sokka forward, causing him to shout in surprise as the Aang took off into the air, leaving the about to erupt behind them as they flew towards the village.

* * *

"Hey, Katara." Aang greeted the dark-haired girl shyly as he and Sokka landed beside her where she was standing in front of Aunt Wu's closed door.

"Can you believe she won't let me in?" Katara demanded in irritation, "And after all the business I've given her?"

"But she doesn't even charge." Aang stated in confusion as he looked at the girl with a quirked brow.

"I know, but still…" Katara huffed and Sokka quickly broke in, his tone urgent.

"Well, we have other things to worry about." He said quickly, "Aunt Wu was wrong about the volcano."

Katara pointed accusingly at her brother, irked at his instance that fortune telling wasn't real, "Sokka, you tried to convince me she was wrong before. It's going to take an awful lot to change my mind-"

Katara was cut off mid-rant as she lurched forward when the volcano rumbled violently from behind her. She turned to look at the volcano with wide eyes along with Aang and Sokka, where smoke was beginning to plume above the mountain's peak.

"Oh no…" Katara whispered worriedly, one hand covering her mouth in surprise.

The trio hurried towards the village courtyard where the villagers were mingling about and talking quietly to each other.

"Everyone, that volcano is gonna blow any second!" Sokka shouted as he tried to warn the villagers, "Aunt Wu was wrong!"

A village woman rolled her eyes in amusement, "Yeah, yeah, we know you don't believe in Aunt Wu, Mr. Science and Reason Lover."

Katara stepped forward then and looked at the villagers pleadingly, "If you won't listen to him, maybe you'll listen to me. I want to believe Aunt Wu and her predictions as much as you do, but my brother and Aang saw the lava with their own eyes."

"Well, I heard Aunt Wu's prediction with my own ears." The calm man from before stated firmly.

"Please listen to us!" Aang shouted this time as he jumped onto the awning of a nearby building, "You are all in danger! And we have to get out of here! You can't rely on Aunt Wu's prediction, you have to take fate into your own hands!"

The volcano rumbled violently again and more smoke began to appear, this time the villagers looking at it with mild alarm.

"Look!" Sokka exclaimed, pointing at the smoke, "Can your fortune telling explain that?"

The man in the red shoes gave Sokka an amused look, "Can you science explain why it rains?"

"Yes!" Sokka yelled angrily as he turned to face the man, "Yes, it can!"

The villagers just shook their head and began to walk away, unbothered by the danger they didn't think they were in.

"They won't listen to reason." Katara said in dismay as Aang jumped down from the awning and landed beside her.

Aang's expression suddenly brightened when an idea came to him, "But they _will _listen to Aunt Wu!"

"I know that's the problem." Sokka stated drily, crossing his arms over his chest in irritation.

"Well, it's about to become the solution." Aang stated with a grin, "We're taking fate into our own hands. First, I need to borrow Aunt Wu's cloud reading book."

Aang raced back to Aunt Wu's building and the Water Tribe siblings looked at each other briefly then followed after him.

* * *

Katara and Sokka stood in front of Aunt Wu's building, trying to appear casually as they kept a look out while Aang snuck into the building using the window above the balcony on the highest story of the building.

Aang slipped into the building with Momo and quickly began to rummage around various drawers in search of the cloud reading book. Momo chirped suddenly and Aang gave him chiding look.

"Shh!" Aang shushed the lemur quietly, "We don't want anyone to hear us."

Aang went back to snooping through the drawers above a vanity mirror when Aunt Wu's assistant, Meng's reflection suddenly appeared in the mirror. Aang jumped and spun around, completely startled by the girl's sudden appearance. The bald boy quickly straightened and cleared his throat nervously while Momo hid behind his back.

"Oh, I didn't see you there." Aang said awkwardly as he tried to act like he hadn't been snooping a moment ago.

"You don't like me do you?" Meng asked sadly, her ears dropping slightly marginally.

"But not the way I like you."

"Oh…" Aang muttered, rubbing the back of his head when he realized what she meant, "I guess not."

"It's okay." Meng said with a small, sad smile, "It's just really hard when you like someone, but they don't think of you that way."

Aang glanced sadly to the side, "I know what you mean."

"She's beautiful, by the way."

The bald boy started and he looked at Meng in surprise with a blush staining his cheeks, "Huh?"

"The Water Tribe girl. I can see why you like her so much." Meng explained then began counting on her fingers, "She's sweet, she's a bender, and her hair seems so manageable."

Meng attempted to smooth her braids down at the last part but they merely stuck right back up again, much to her chagrin.

"Don't worry." Aang said as he walked closer to the girl and put his hands on her shoulders comfortingly, "You're going to meet a great guy who's going to completely fall for you. I know it."

"Thanks." Meng said gratefully if not a little sadly then she held her hands up in alarm when Aang was about to leave, "Wait! Don't you want this?"

Aang turned back to look at her in surprise and Meng handed him the cloud reading book, with a sheepish expression on her face.

"How did you know?" Aang questioned in confusion as he took the book.

Meng nervously tapped her fingers together and smiled sheepishly, "I've kind of been stalking you…Heh…"

"Oh, thanks…" Aang said with an awkward blush as he rubbed the back of his head, "I guess…"

Meng smiled again and Aang hurried out of the building, towards where Sokka and Katara were waiting for him. The trio rushed away from Aunt Wu's building as quickly and casually as they could as they went to find Appa so that they could put Aang's plan into action.

* * *

"Clouds are made of water and air," Aang explained as he sat on Appa's head while Katara sat at the front of the saddle, "So between the two of us, we ought to be able to bend them into any shape we want."

"I found it!" Katara said triumphantly when she found the cloud shape they were need to warn the village. "The symbol for volcanic doom."

Aang quickly dropped Appa's reins and climbed into the saddle with Katara. The two stood in the center of the saddle, facing each other as they both took a bending stance and began to bend the clouds around them using Airbending and Waterbending while Appa flew them slowly around.

"Aunt Wu, look!" Sokka said urgently as he lead the fortuneteller to the pagoda in the village courtyard and pointed at the sky, "Something's happening in the clouds!"

"That's very strange. It shouldn't…" Aunt Wu said as she looked at the clouds quizzically then gasped in horror when the sky darkened, "Oh my!"

She and the villagers stared in horror at the skull-shaped cloud as the volcano spewed more ash and smoke into the air. The villagers didn't notice when Aang landed Appa at the base of the courtyard and he and Katara raced up the steps towards the pagoda.

"We can still save the village if we act fast!" Aang addressed the worried villagers with a serious expression then he gestured to Sokka who was standing on the pagoda, "Sokka has a plan."

"Lava is gonna flow downhill to this spot." Sokka explained as he gestured with his arms, "If we can dig a deep enough trench we can channel all the lava away from the village to the river."

"If any of you are Earthbenders, come with me." Aang instructed quickly after Sokka had finished talking.

"I'm an Earthbender!" Poi called out from the front of the crowd, raising his hand with a grin.

His twin brother, Ping grinned and raised his hand as well, "I'm not!"

Sokka shook his head and held up the shovel he had leaning against one of the pagoda's pillars.

"Everybody else grab a shovel!" He ordered and flinched slightly when an explosion came from the volcano, "Come on! We gotta hurry!"

The crowd dispersed quickly, the Earthbenders quickly following Aang while the non-benders grabbed shovels. Several cries of urgency filled the air as the villagers moved as fast as possible to put Sokka's plan into action.

Soon a deep trench is formed as the Earthbenders, non-benders, Sokka, Katara, and Aang all labored together to get the trench deep enough and to open it out to the nearby river before the volcano erupted, with Appa flying overhead as he transported loose boulders with a net strapped to his body.

Another loud explosion filled the air, this time sending up lava instead of smoke and ash.

"Dig faster! Dig faster!" Sokka ordered loudly and the villagers quickly did as he commanded.

Poi quickly ran from where he had been deepening the trench and he leapt into the air, sweeping his arms forward and clearing a torrent of boulders is cleared and sent in to the river which created a channel towards the river.

"Everyone needs to evacuate!" Aang shouted as he leapt to the edge of the trench, "We'll come for you when it's safe!"

The villagers quickly ran from the trench and away from the village, getting to safety just as the lava began to flow down the mountain side and towards the village. The molten lava destroyed the village gate as it passed then it flowed through the village cemetery, destroying the headstones as well. The lava reached the trench and it's progress was stopped temporarily but the lava was rising to rapidly

"It's too much!" Katara shouted from her spot with Aang and Sokka on the safe side of the trench as they watched the lava continue to rise dangerous, "It's gonna overflow!"

Another explosion rocked the village and burning rocks and ash began to rain down from the sky. Katara and Sokka began to run to safety but both stopped when they realized Aang hadn't moved from the side of the trench. They watched as a huge flaming boulder fell from the sky and landed in the lava-filled trench, exploding a moment later and sending a huge wave of lava into the air.

Aang pursed his lips in determination and rushed towards the lava, using Airbending to propel himself faster as he leapt up and air began to swirl around his fists as he Airbended the air from the clouds around him. He gathered the massive amount of air into a vortex and swung it at the overflowing lava, blowing the molten rock straight up which prevented it from advancing on the village. Next, Aang sucked in a mighty intake of breath and expelled forcefully, Airbending it as he exhaled and cooling all the lava into stone that curved above the trench like a protective wall. The bald boy inhaled through his nose as he straightened, bringing his arms up then down in front of his body as he relaxed with his next exhale.

"Man…" Sokka muttered as he and Katara stared at Aang in utter surprise and awe, "Sometimes I forget what a powerful bender that kid is."

Katara's awed expression changed to one of shock as she remembered Aunt Wu's prediction about her future marriage and she looked at her brother.

"Wait, what did you just say?" She demanded.

"Nothing," Sokka replied casually, oblivious to his sister's tone, "Just that Aang is one _powerful_ bender."

Katara looked back at Aang and her eyes slowly widened as she had an epiphany.

"I…suppose he is." She murmured softly.

* * *

"By the way, we kind of borrowed your book." Aang said sheepishly as he handed Aunt Wu her cloud reading book after the entire village had been brought back to the their intact town.

"So you messed with the clouds, did you?" Aunt Wu questioned rhetorically as she snatched the book from Aang in apparent Aang while Katara gave her a guilty look and Sokka pointed at her with a smile on his face.

"Very clever!" the fortuneteller said with an amused laugh as she tucked the book into her sleeve.

"No offense, but I hope this taught everyone a lesson about not relying too much on fortune telling." Sokka stated as he looked around at the villagers sternly.

"But Aunt Wu predicted the village wouldn't be destroyed and it wasn't." The calm man said with a cheerful smile on his face, "She was right, after all."

Sokka's eye twitched and he moved closer to the man so they were nose and nose, speaking through gritted teeth, "I hate you."

"It's okay, Sokka." Katara soothed as she took her brother by the shoulders and lead him away, "Everything's going to be alright."

Aang watched his friends for a moment then looked up at Aunt Wu uncertainly.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, honey." Aunt Wu replied with a gentle smile.

"You didn't really see love in my fortune, did you?" he asked disappointedly as he shuffled his feet slightly, "You just told me what I wanted to hear."

"I'll tell you a little secret, young Airbender." Aunt Wu stated and gestured to the sky, "Just as you reshaped those clouds, you have the power to shape your own destiny."

Aang smiled widely at her and bowed slightly in gratitude then hurried over to where Katara and Sokka were waiting, the dark-haired girl holding Appa's reins while Sokka sat in the saddle. Aang quickly jumped into the saddle and sat down beside the irritated Water Tribe boy with smile on his face.

"Goodbye everyone! It was so nice to meet you!" Katara called out brightly then she addressed Meng, who was standing at the front of the crowd, "Take care, Meng."

"Take care!" Meng said as she waved with a bright smile on her face, which disappeared as soon as Appa turned away and was replaced with an annoyed frown, "Floozy…"

* * *

Zuko watched the white-haired Airbender from the observation deck as she twirled her staff around her body and in the air intricately after spending most of the day hollowing it out. His eyes narrowed slightly when he heard her laugh as she tossed the staff into the air then back-flipped a couple time before catching the lightweight staff in her hands.

"She has remarkable talent, doesn't she?" Iroh mused as he stood beside his nephew and watched the girl practically dance across the main deck with the staff twirling and swinging around her form rapidly, "It is as if the staff is an extension of her body."

Zuko merely grunted in reply and folded his arms over the observation deck railing as he continued to observe the girl below, his sharp eyes missing nothing as he filed the information Xiaodan was unwittingly providing him with into the back of his mind.

Iroh flicked out his fan and used it the hide the small smile on his face as he watched his nephew from the corner of his eye with an amusing mischievous glint in his eye.

* * *

**Author's Note: Uh oh, looks like Iroh might be trying to play matchmaker. XD Anyhooties, long chapter is long and holy crap, y'all have NO idea how difficult it is for me not to have some cursing and swearing in this story. I'm, sadly, so used to have my characters curse that it's hard to come up with what I call 'kiddie-curses' to replace my usually arsenal of bad language. It's also super hard trying to figure out which kiddie-curses would actually be used in the AtLA world, so any ideas you readers want to offer would be very much appreciated. Anyhooties again, this is definitely not my favorite episode since I think it's just kind of a filler-episode like Imprisoned, but I hope I did okay. Also, I hope I'm succeeding in Xia and Aang's character growths too, so input on that would be just awesome! Next chapter will take place during Season 1 Episode 15: Bato of the Water Tribe and it will be posted on Sunday, so stay tuned for that!**

**PS - ****I'm still debating on if I want Zuko to kidnap her again at the end of The Siege of the North Part 2, or  
have her there when Aang learns Earthbending from Toph then join up with Zuko and Iroh in The Chase when Azula injures Iroh with lightning. I'm so torn because I want to be able to show the development of Zuko and Xiaodan's relationship as it goes from enemies to some-what friendly rivals to acquaintances to good friends to flirting/interested in each other friends and finally ending them as a romantic couple but I also think Toph and Xiaodan would become best friends almost instantaneously and I can't decide what I want to do more! What do you guys think? I'd like your honest opinions on which you would rather see because I can't choose.**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are just amazing and I lurves you in a completely unweirdo way, which I think y'all get by now. XD**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Dream lighting: Don't worry, Xia and Aang will be reunited soon! Hope you liked this chapter!**

**Ambrosia Maestro: This is one of my favorites too, but it's more because Zuko's pretty badass as the Blue Spirit. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!**

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: Huh? The frogs didn't stay frozen, they thawed out while Aang was trapped in the fortress and after Zuko tried to fry him he went back to the swamp to get more. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!**

**Molly Grace 16: Yeah, I didn't really plan on having a lot of Xia in this episode anyway, but I didn't want her to be completely absent. Haha, Xia and Aang will be reuniting soon, I already have that chapter in the works. I think I'll do something like that, if only to hint at the Xia's duel-bending but not completely reveal it yet. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter, even though there's more Xia/Iroh familial bonding than Zuko/Xia friendship/romance bonding, but I think there is a little bit of flirting between them, you just have to squint really, really hard to see it. XD**

**Break This Spell666: Haha, that's awesome! I write the chapters as I watch the episodes so I have everything as accurate as possible. As for **_**Always Sunny, **_**I've got some terrible writer's block that I've been trying to work through, especially after the friend I wrote the story for originally convinced me not to rewrite it. I haven't abandoned it, but it is on temporary hiatus until I can get over the damn writer's block. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Angel2u: Er, honestly I don't know. It's a possibility.**

**88dragon06: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, honestly I was worried that it wouldn't be very Aang-ish to have him basically threaten Zuko but what the hell, it fit with the story so I went with it. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Orange Mystic Force Ranger: I'm glad you like the story so far! Zuko and Xia won't be getting together until at least the middle of Season 2. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!**

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: Haha, thanks. :) I'm glad you liked the Zukia moment in the last chapter and I hope you like the interactions in this chapter! Haha, the Crossroads of Destiny chapter is still quite a bit a ways but I already have some ideas for it. I'm not really fond of Maiko, because I really don't think Mai and Zuko are a compatible couple. Mai is just too blah and Zuko is very not blah compared to her. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16: Bato of the Water Tribe

**AN: Chapter 16 takes place during Season 1 Episode 15: Bato of the Water Tribe, where we get to see Xia and the GAang reunited! Yay! Well…reunited for a time at least…Anyhooties, various POVs as always, so enjoy my lovelies!**

* * *

Aang looked curiously at the whale-tooth sword that was sticking upright in the ground. Thinking quickly, Aang grasped the hilt and pulled the weapon out of the ground, turning around to face Sokka as the older boy came sliding down the dirt slope behind him.

"Hey, look!" Aang called out to Sokka excitedly as he examined the sword, "A sword make out of a whale's tooth."

"Let me see that." Sokka stated as he walked up to Aang and snatched the scimitar, looking at it thoughtfully, "This is a Water Tribe weapon. See if you can find anything else."

The two boys began rummaging through the bushes in search of more weapons as Katara walked toward them curiously.

"Did someone lose something?" She questioned, looking at them interestedly.

"No, we found something!" Aang replied as he continued to search the bushes.

Sokka kneeled on the ground and brushed some fallen leaves away, revealing a spearhead lying on the ground. Sokka picked up the spearhead and ran his fingers along the point.

"It's burned…" He muttered as he got to his feet and examined a tree that had slash and burn marks on it, "There was a battle! Water Tribe warriors ambushed a group of Firebenders!"

Sokka turned away from the tree and looked down the hill, searching for more clues, "The Firebenders fought back but the warriors drove them down this hill."

Sokka raced down the hill with Aang and Katara following after him. The Water Tribe boy leapt over a few rocks and continued running forward until he reached a sandy beach with Aang and Katara appearing right behind him.

"So, then what happened?" Aang asked as he looked curiously at Sokka's back.

"I don't know." Sokka replied in disappointment, "The trail ends here."

"Wait, look!" Katara exclaimed when something to her right caught her attention.

"It's one of our boats!" Sokka said excitedly when he saw the half-obscured Water Tribe ship sitting idly on the shore behind a few large rocks and the trio raced towards the boat quickly.

"Is this dad's boat?" Katara asked Sokka as she looked at the boat with a small smile.

"No, but it's from his fleet." Sokka replied as he stroked the boat with a smile then turned to Katara as Aang walked up behind them, "Dad was here."

The siblings exchanged excitedly looks as they both turned back to the boat while Aang watched them with a small, but slightly sad smile as he wished Xiaodan was here with him at that moment.

* * *

Iroh sighed happily after he took a sip of the tea Xiaodan had prepared, his face relaxed. Xiaodan hid a pleased smile behind the rim of her teacup as she took her own sip of the warm liquid, her eyes closing blissfully at the delicious tea filled her mouth.

"Aahh!" He exhaled softly as he placed his cup on the low table, "See Prince Zuko, a moment of quiet is good for mental well-being."

Iroh picked up the teapot and poured the grumpy prince a cup of tea while Xiaodan set her own cup back on the low table and folded her hands primly in her lap. She watched with a curious expression as Zuko lifted the small cup to take a sip but the ship suddenly jerked violently, causing the tea to slosh out of the cup and all over Zuko's face and hair.

Xiaodan giggled manically and clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle the sounds, but her eyes shone with mirth. Zuko growled in frustration and leapt to his feet, stomping out of the room and up to the main deck with Iroh and Xiaodan trailing after him.

The three arrived at the deck where several Firebenders were poised for attack just as a large beast with a young, dark-haired woman mounted on its back leapt onto the deck.

"Look out! Argh!" One of the Firebenders shouted as they fled from the large creature.

"Get back!" the woman barked at the crew as she directed the creature, "We're after a stowaway."

Zuko stepped forward with a glare, "There are no stowaways on my ship."

Xiaodan's dark brows rose nearly to her hairlines as the creature tore a chunk of the metal deck flooring right off then hurled it in Zuko direction. Without even thinking, the white-haired girl grabbed the prince's arm and yanked him down while the crewmen and Iroh dodged to the side just in time for the metal piece to fly over their heads and hit the doorway leading into the command tower.

Zuko growled and jerked his arm from Xiaodan's grasp, glowering at her for moment then he turned to watch as the creature shoved its head inside the hole in the deck, sniffing loudly. Xiaodan put her thumbs near her ears and spread her fingers, sticking her tongue out as she made a face at Zuko's turned back. She stopped when the creature lifted its head from the hole and screeched as strange man climbed out of the whole and raced towards the surprised Fire Nation prince, crewmen and Xiaodan.

The creature instantly gave chase then struck the stowaway twice in the neck with an elongated tongue. Xiaodan's brows rose and her eyes became wide as she watched the man fall to the deck, completely paralyzed with terrified look on his face.

"He's paralyzed." Zuko muttered in shock.

"I want one." Xiaodan stated as she gleefully clapped her hands together, looking at the creature in amazement, ignoring the dirty look Zuko sent her way.

"Only temporarily." The woman stated as she hauled the paralyzed man up onto her shoulder easily, "The toxins will wear off in about an hour. But by then, he'll be in jail and I'll have my money."

The woman walked over to the creature and tossed the man on the back then prepared to remount.

"But how did you find him on my ship?" Zuko demanded, causing the woman to pause and look over her shoulder at the prince.

"My shirshu can smell a rat a continent away." The woman stated smugly then finished pulling herself back onto the shirshu's back.

"Well, I'm impressed." Iroh stated as he, Xiaodan, and Zuko watched the woman crack her whip and the shirshu bolted off the ship, racing down the docks.

The three walked over the edge of the ship and leaned against.

"_Very _impressed." Iroh said with a smirk as he stroked his beard thoughtfully and Zuko gave him a disgusted look.

"I had no idea you could be such a pervy old man, Iroh." Xiaodan commented with an amused shake of her head as she walked over the where the large piece of metal was still blocking the door to the command tower, which she promptly Airbended out of the way much to the chagrin of the crewmen who had been trying to move it.

* * *

Sokka poked at the small fire he had set up earlier when they had decided to make camp by the Water Tribe boat, his expression slightly worried. Aang and Katara were already asleep, but Sokka's mind was too busy whirling with memories for him to do the same.

'_A younger Sokka with a large bundle in his arms and wearing his face-paint walked over to where his father was standing next to a ship. _

_Hakoda turned around after handed a bundle to one of the men on the ship and smiled slightly when he saw his saw. The Southern Water Tribe chief walked over to his son just as Sokka halted in his tracks._

"_Sokka."_

"_I'm coming with you." Sokka stated determinedly if not a little pleadingly._

"_You're not old enough to go to war, Sokka, you know that." Hakoda said gently as he looked down at his son._

"_I'm strong, I'm brave, I can fight!" Sokka reasoned, looking desperately up at his father, "Please, Dad!"_

_Hakoda put his hand on his son's shoulder, "Being a man is knowing where you're needed most. And for you right now, that's here, protecting your sister."_

"_I don't understand." Sokka stated as his eyes began to glisten slightly with unshed tears._

"_Someday you will." Hakoda said gently and Sokka tossed his bag to aside then threw himself into his father's arms, sobbing quietly as he buried his face in his father's parka._

"_I'm going to miss you so much…" Hakoda whispered as he hugged his son tightly to him…'_

Sokka shook his head slightly to rid himself of the memory and continued to poke at the fire with a sullen expression. The Water Tribe boy instantly perked up when he heard a strange noise come from the shadows.

"Who's there?" He demanded, on the alert as he stood with his boomerang in hand.

Sokka watched as a man in Water Tribe garb with white bandages wrapped around the upper left part of his torso stepped from the shadows and appeared in the light of the fire, a surprised expression on his face.

"Sokka?"

Sokka looked at the man quizzically with a raised brow then asked spiritedly, "Bato?"

"Who the what now?" Aang mumbled sleepily as he lifted himself up slightly along with Katara.

"Bato!" Katara exclaimed excitedly, no longer sleepy when she saw the Water Tribe man.

"Sokka! Katara!" Bato said happily as the two siblings rushed towards him, "It's so good to see you!"

He hugged them both tightly and smiled down at them, "You've grown so much!"

Aang approached the three but remained a few feet away as he bowed to Bato.

"Hi, I'm Aang." He greeted politely then straightened as Katara and Sokka pulled away from Bato.

"Where's Dad?" Sokka asked eagerly.

"Is he here?" Katara asked right after, just as eager for news as her brother.

"No, he and the other warriors should be in the Eastern Earth Kingdom by now." Bato replied and the siblings looked crestfallen at the news.

A sudden gust of wind caused them all, even Bato to shiver.

"This is no place for a reunion. Let's get inside." Bato suggested then slung his arms around Katara and Sokka's shoulders, leading them away.

He paused a moment later and looked back at Aang, gesturing for him to follow them with his hand. Aang trailed after the three Water Tribe members as Bato lead them to an abbey some distance away from the campsite they had made by the ocean.

"After I was wounded, your father carried me to this abbey." Bato explained as he lead the three children followed by Appa into the abbey where a few nuns were milling about, "The sisters have cared for me ever since."

"Superior," Bato called out as he lead Katara and Sokka towards two young nuns and an elderly one, who turned around to face him, "These are Hakoda's children. They've been traveling with the Avatar. I found them by my boat."

The elderly nun smiled as she faced Aang, "Young Avatar, it gives me great joy to be in your presence. Welcome to our abbey."

"Thank you, it's truly an honor to be here. If there's anything-" Aang started to offer but Sokka cut him off.

"What smells so good, Bato?" the boy asked, looking up at the older warrior curiously.

Bato sniffed the air then explained, "The sisters craft ointments and perfumes."

"Perfume?" Sokka asked then gestured at Appa with his thumb, "Maybe we can dump some on Appa, because he stinks so much. Am I right?"

Sokka waved his hand in his face and looked at the others expectantly but everyone remained silently except for one person who coughed quietly.

"You have your father's wit." Bato commented with slight amusement as he looked at the teen, then he lead the three into the hut the sisters had let him stay in.

"Bato, it looks just like home!" Katara exclaimed when she saw the hut had a small fire in the middle and there were various pelts on the floor and walls.

"Everything's here, even the pelts!" Sokka stated excitedly as he sat down on one of the pelts near the fire.

"Yeah, nothing's cozier than dead animal skins." Aang muttered sarcastically, watching as Momo jumped from his arm and started hitting the head of a bear pelt only to hiss and return to Aang's shoulder when the mouth closed with a snap.

"No way!" Katara said in surprise and delight as she lifted the lid off the cooking pot hanging over the fire, "Stewed sea prunes!"

"Help yourself." Bato offered with a smile as he joined her and Sokka by the fire.

"Dad could eat a whole barrel of these things." Sokka commented as Katara began filling the bowls.

Katara handed Aang a bowl and the boy sniffed it then cringed in disgust and set the bowl back down. Momo leapt over and started to eat the stewed sea prunes but spit them back out a moment later and started scratching at the bowl.

"Bato, is it true that you and dad lassoed an artic hippo?" Katara asked as she ate a spoonful of stewed sea prunes.

"It was your father's idea, he just dragged me along." Bato said with fond smile, "Well, the hippo did most of the dragging!"

"Hey, I ride animals too!" Aang said excited as Katara and Sokka slurped at their stewed sea prunes, "There was this one time when I rode a giant eel and I-"

"So, who was it that came up with the Great Blubber Fiasco?" Sokka asked, cutting Aang off mid-sentence.

Bato chuckled to himself quietly, "You knew about that?"

"Everyone does!" Katara said with a small laugh.

"What's that story?" Aang asked curiously but Sokka waved his question away.

"It's a long one, Aang, some other time."

Katara smiled at Bato, "You and Dad had so many hilarious adventures."

"Not all of which were hilarious at the time, but everything's funny in hindsight." Bato said with a chuckle then stopped when he saw Aang wearing a fur pelt on his head, "Hey, Aang! Please put that down, it's ceremonial and very fragile."

Aang careful put the fur pelt back on the wall and sat back down in the corner near the door, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his chin on them with a crestfallen expression.

"Was it your or Dad that put an octopus on your head and convince Gran-Gran you were a water spirit?" Sokka asked with a grin at the older man.

"Your dad wore the octopus." Bato said then lowered his voice, "But I did the spooky voice."

Aang sighed quietly as he watched his friends talk to Bato as if he wasn't there. The young Airbender had never felt more alone before and he desperately wished Xiaodan was there, at least then he could talk to her while Sokka and Katara caught up with Bato.

* * *

Xiaodan pursed her lips and crossed her arms in annoyance as she walked beside Iroh as they followed Zuko to a seedy looking tavern in the small Earth Kingdom harbor town.

"Out of my way!" Zuko barked in annoyance as he shoved people out of his way, "Step aside, filth!"

"He means no offense!" Iroh apologized quickly to the man Zuko had pushed as he followed after his nephew with Xiaodan at his side, "I'm certain you bathe regularly."

"That's doubtful." Xiaodan muttered under her breath as she crossed her arms tighter over her chest, her tanned and tattooed face twisted into an expression of disgust.

The three reached the table where the bounty woman was arm-wrestling with a man that looked twice her size.

"I need to talk to you!" The banished prince stated loudly as he glared down at the woman.

"Well, if it isn't my new friends, Angry Boy and Uncle Lazy." The woman commented as she glanced at the trio, her brow lifting slightly when she got sight of Xiaodan standing beside Iroh, "Oh look, you even brought your girlfriend."

"Pfft… Not even in the Firebug's dreams." Xiaodan said with a dismissive flick of her wrist.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Zuko shouted a moment later, glaring first at Xiaodan then at the bounty woman while Iroh chuckled in amusement at her comment.

The woman sent a slight smirk at the pale-haired girl and ignored the two men as her opponent strained to get the upper hand. Finally growing bored, the woman slammed the large man's hand down against the table and the crowd cheered at her victory, tossing money on the table.

"Your beast trashed my ship." Zuko growled lowly, "You _have _to pay me back!"

"Well, I'd love to help you out, but I'm a little short on money." The woman stated as she collected her winnings then leaned back in her chair and addressed the boisterous crowd, "Drinks on me!"

Xiaodan's lip twitched in amusement as the crowd cheered happily at the woman's words, then quirked her brow when Zuko grabbed the woman's wrist in a vice grip when she lifted her cup to her mouth.

"Money isn't what I had in mind." Zuko stated lowly, his tone dangerous.

* * *

"I need you to find someone." Zuko said after he, Iroh, Xiaodan, and the bounty woman, whose name was June had left the tavern.

Xiaodan's eyes became huge when Zuko held up Katara's necklace.

"Hey!" She hissed and tried to snatch the necklace from his hand but he easily kept it away from her, "That's not yours!"

Zuko ignored the fuming white-haired girl and showed the necklace to June.

"What happened," June drawled sarcastically as she leaned against her shirshu with her arms crossed, "Your girlfriend run off on you?"

"It's not the girl I'm after," Zuko stated coolly, ignoring the heated glower he knew Xiaodan was sending him, "It's the bald monk she's traveling with."

June gave him an unamused look, "Whatever you say."

"If you find them, I'll consider the damage to my ship _paid for_."

Xiaodan crossed her fingers and hoped June would refuse the grouchy prince.

"Heh, forget it." June scoffed and started to climb into the shirshu's saddle but Iroh's next words made her pause.

"Plus, we'll pay your weight in _gold_."

Xiaodan slapped her forehead with her hand and shut her eyes tight, her lips twisted into a furious scowl, but there was nothing she could do even if she wanted to and she very much wanted to do _something_.

June smiled and walked over to Iroh, poking his rounded belly, "Make it _your _weight, and we gotta deal."

Iroh laughed merrily, "You got it!"

"Get on!" June instructed as she grabbed the necklace from Zuko.

Iroh eagerly climbed in a spot where he would get to sit behind June and looked at Xiaodan and Zuko expectantly.

"First, we have to stop by my ship." Zuko stated firmly as he glanced coolly at the Xiaodan, who was staring at him with fiery orange eyes, "The girl will only get in the way."

"Can't do that, Angry Boy." June drawled as she waited for the three to get into the saddle as she held the necklace in front of her shirshu, "Once Nyla has the scent, she has to follow it. There are no pit-stops."

"Fine." Zuko snapped harshly then turned to face the white-haired girl and pointed to the saddle, silently ordering her to get on.

Xiaodan crossed her arms and scowled at him defiantly as she refused to comply, silently telling him to shove it. Zuko growled and grabbed the girl around the waist, tossing her over his shoulder like bag of rice then walked over to the shirshu, where Iroh was no waiting with June sitting in front of him.

"Hey!" Xiaodan squawked indignantly as she pounded on the prince's back, "Put me down, you stupid, annoying, fire-shooting jerk!"

"Be quiet, pest!" Zuko hissed angrily as he tossed the girl into the saddle then climbed up behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist to keep her in the saddle when she attempted to get back off, "Move and I'll tie your hands together."

"I don't believe that they're not dating." She muttered to herself, snapping her whip and Nyla lunged forward, following the Water Tribe girl's scent trail.

* * *

"There's something I should tell you kids." Bato stated after he and the two siblings had finished eating, "I'm expecting a message from your father."

"Really?" Katara asked excitedly, not noticing Aang sitting behind them with his eyes closed and was completely excluded from the group.

"When?" Sokka demanded a moment later, as oblivious as his sister.

"Any day now. Your father said he'd send a message when they found the rendezvous point." Bato explained with a slight smile, "If you wait here until the message arrives, you can come with me, and see your father again."

Aang opened his eyes and sat up slightly, looking at his friends with a sad and worried expression on his face. He couldn't believe they were talking about leaving him as if he weren't even there, especially now when he had only lost Xiaodan a couple weeks ago.

"It's been over two years since we've seen Dad." Sokka said excitedly and tossed his hands in happily, "That would be so incredible! Katara!"

"I do really miss him, it would be _great _to see Dad." Katara agreed softly with a smile.

"It's been far too long, hasn't it?" Bato commented with a nod of agreement.

Aang frowned sadly then got to his feet and left the hut with slumped shoulders, Momo following after him.

"I'm not sure when word will, but when it does-"

Aang slid the hut's door shut, cutting off the rest of Bato's sentence as he walked out of the abbey and towards the beach with Momo.

* * *

"It would be great, but we can't." Sokka said softly, "We have to take Aang to the North Pole first."

"Even if we do have time to wait for the message, knows how far we'd have to travel." Katara added a little sadly, "We don't have time for a long detour."

Bato smiled at the two proudly, "I'm sure your father would understand, and be proud that his children are helping the Avatar."

* * *

"I can't believe they would leave me." Aang said quietly as he sat on the bow of Bato's ship, one knee pulled up to his chest, "I still haven't found Xia yet and they'd want to leave me…"

Aang looked up when he heard the braying of an ostrich horse, his brow furrowing when as he watched an Earth Kingdom messenger riding towards him quickly.

"I'm looking for Bato of the Water Tribe." The messenger stated urgently as he looked up at Aang.

"Uhh…" Aang stuttered then shook his head, "I know Bato!"

"Make he sure he gets this!" The messengers said quickly then handed Aang a scroll and rode back the way he'd just come, disappearing into the night a few moments later.

Aang looked at the scroll in his hand curiously then opened it, his eyes widening when he saw it was the map that would lead to Katara and Sokka's dad.

"It's the map to Sokka and Katara's dad!" He gasped quietly as he looked at the map, then he pursed his lips in frustration and crumpled the map into map, shoving it inside a pocket in his shirt.

Aang wrapped his arms tighter around his chest and sat on the bow of the ship for a little longer before heading back to the abbey.

* * *

Aang opened the door of the hut and poked his head in quickly before stepping inside fully.

"Hey everybody!" Aang greeted enthusiastically, lifting his hand in a small wave as he slid the door shut behind him, "Sorry I was gone so long."

Katara turned to face him with a curious and sheepish look on her face, "Hey, Aang, I didn't notice you left."

"Yup, but now I'm back." Aang said, trying not to sound nervous as he sat down between the two siblings, "Sure could go from some delicious sea prunes!"

The young Airbender grabbed the bowl and began digging in, rapidly shoveling spoonful after spoonful into his mouth then chocking them back up a moment later, but he continued to act as if he was enjoying them. Katara, Sokka and Bato gave him strange looks but decided to ignore the younger boy's strange behavior for now.

* * *

Xiaodan yelped when the shirshu suddenly jerked to a stop among some ruins and she almost fell of the saddle, Zuko's arm around her waist the only thing keeping her in her seat.

"Out for a bit of fresh air, are we?" An elderly woman with a cat asked as she stood and turned to the face the five sitting on the creature.

"We're looking for someone." Zuko replied, his tone harsh and demanding as he stared at the old woman suspiciously.

"I hope it's not Miyuki." The elderly woman said then she looked at the fluffy white cat standing beside her, "Miyuki, did you get in trouble with the Fire Nation, again?"

The cat purred and Xiaodan took the moment of distraction the old woman and feline provided her to elbow the prince in the stomach roughly. Zuko grunted and his grip around her waist relaxed just enough for Xiaodan to toss herself from the saddle and to the hard stone ground below. The white-haired girl managed to turn her landing into a somersault and rolled to her feet, but before she could take more than a few steps she was tackled back to the ground from behind. Xiaodan yelped and tried to wiggle away but her arms were quickly trapped to her sides and she was hauled to her feet by an irate prince.

"You just have to be difficult, don't you?" Zuko grumbled as he quickly tied Xiaodan's hands together and bound her arms to her sides, then he lifted her easily back into the saddle, climbing on after her, "Try something like that again and I'll have the shirshu paralyze you."

Xiaodan scowled and tossed her head backwards, knocking the back of her head against his chin in retaliation. The prince gave a muffled grunt and leaned away from the furious girl, but he kept his arm wrapped around her waist to prevent another escape attempt.

June watched the entire exchange with a quirked brow then she shook her head, "The Avatar's been through here. Let's keep moving."

The bounty woman cracked her whip and Nyla shot forward, back on the Water Tribe girl's trail.

* * *

Aang stood by a large pile of hay then Airbended some over to Appa, unwittingly causing the crumpled map to fall out of his sleeve.

"Aha! I caught you!" the Mother Superior said victoriously as she picked up the crumpled paper and pointed at Aang, who was looking at her nervously, "You should be ashamed of yourself, littering in the courtyard."

"I'm sorry, I'll take care of this." Aang said quickly and took the crumpled paper from her outstretched hand, trying to keep the relief from his face as he bowed to the Mother Superior.

The head nun nodded once and walked away. Aang watched her leave then stuffed the crumpled map back into the shirt with a relieved and uncomfortable expression on his face.

* * *

"This ship is sentimental to me." Bato stated as he touched the ship's hull with Sokka and Katara standing in front of him, "It was built by my father."

Aang walked behind Bato and started when he saw the ostrich horse tracks in the sand. He glanced over his shoulder nervously then quickly sent a gust of wind down the beach, erasing the tracks. He turned back around, clasping his hands behind his back and started whistling innocently as he walked back over to the Water Tribe members.

"Is this the boat he took you ice dodging?" Sokka asked curiously as he looked at the beached ship.

"Yep! It's got the scar to prove it." Bato confirmed with a light chuckle then looked at the younger Water Tribe boy, "How 'bout you Sokka? You must have some good stories from your first time ice dodging."

Sokka looked away sadly and Katara stepped forward slightly, placing her hand on her brother's shoulder.

"He never got to go." She explained, "Dad left before he was old enough."

"Oh," Bato muttered with slight awkwardness, "I forgot you were too young."

"What's ice dodging?" Aang asked, genuinely curious as he looked up at Bato.

"It's a rite of passage for young Water Tribe members. When your fourteen, your dad takes you-" Bato started to explain then smiled and put his hand on Sokka's shoulder, "You know what, you're about to find out!"

The three teens looked at each other excitedly then they all smiled up at Bato eagerly.

* * *

Xiaodan winced slightly as she listened to the terrified screams of the villagers as they fled from Nyla in fear as the giant beast raced through their village. The shirshu pulled to a stop in front of a building where an older woman in yellow robes stood, completely calm.

"Why are we stopping?" Zuko demanded in annoyance as he temporarily let go of Xiaodan's waist, feeling confident that she wouldn't try to get away again.

"Because the girl must have spent a lot of time here." June explained flatly and Zuko growled.

"We have no time for this!" He snapped as he jumped off Nyla's back and thrusted Katara's necklace in front of the shirshu's nose.

Nyla hissed in agitation and snapped her tongue out at Zuko, who barely managed to duck down.

"Hey!" Zuko snapped as he straightened and glared at the creature, "Watch it!"

"Oh look, he likes you!" June cooed as Iroh laughed from his spot behind her, while Xiaodan gave the irritated prince a smug look.

"Too bad he missed." She quipped with a cheeky smile then puckered her lips at the prince, "Why don't you give Nyla a kiss, Firebug?"

Zuko glowered darkly at her as the old woman approached the shirshu and addressed Iroh with her hands on her hips.

"Care to hear your fortune, handsome?" She offered flirtatious and Iroh smiled down at her.

"At my age, there's only one big surprise left," Iroh replied serenely with a smile, "And I'd just as soon leave it a mysterious."

"Wise words, old man." Xiaodan commented with a shake of her head as Zuko jumped back into the saddle behind her, his arm instantly going around her waist again as Nyla lurched forward, leaping onto a building then over to other side to continue chasing Katara's scent trail.

* * *

"Ice dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust." Bato explained to the three teens as they sailed his boat through the water, "In our village, ice dodging was done by weaving a boat through a field of icebergs."

"How are we supposed to ice dodge without ice?" Sokka questioned with a skeptical look on his tanned face.

"You'll be dodging those." The older man said as he pointed to a group of tall, sharp, jagged rocks near the shore, causing Katara and Sokka to stare nervously.

"Sokka, you steer and call the shots, lead wisely. Katara, you secure the main sail. The winds can be brutal, so be brave." Bato instructed and the two siblings hurried to do as he said then the warrior turned to face Aang, "Aang, you control the jib. Without your steady hand, we all go down. Your position is about trust."

Aang blinked up at him and suddenly felt defensive, "I know that. Why wouldn't I know that? I'm the Avatar, I know about trust!"

Aang crossed his arms over his arms and looked away from the older warrior with a slight pout but then he glanced back at him a moment later as the man walked away.

"For this to be done right, I cannot help." Bato stated as he sat cross-legged at the front of the boat, "You pass or fail on your own."

Sokka studied the rocky shores critically for a moment then began tossing out orders, "Aang, ease up on the jib. Katara, steady."

Katara gave the rocky shore a concerned look but did as he brother instructed just as Aang did, though not nearly as confidently as the Water Tribe girl.

"Aang, less sail. Katara, give him room." Sokka commanded just before the ship moved to the side and sailed between some rocks, "Aang, helm to lee. Helm to lee!"

"What does that even mean?" Aang shouted in confused frustration as he yanked on the rope in his hand.

The waves knocked roughly against the boat, tossing Bato around slightly but he kept his eyes closed and remained calm. Sokka struggled to steer the boat through the rocks while Katara and Aang closed their eyes and held tightly to the ropes in their hands.

"Great job!" Sokka complimented with a grin that the younger two returned happily as they successfully sailed through the rocks.

Katara and Aang's eyes widened when they saw the boat heading straight for a closely bunched together pile of rocks.

"There's no way through!" Katara cried out apprehensively.

"We can make it." Sokka replied confidently as he watched the boat get closer to the rocks.

Bato stood then and grabbed the side of the boat, looking at the rocks worriedly, "Sokka, you've already proven yourself. Maybe we should-"

"Aang, I'm gonna need air in that sail." Sokka ordered, cutting Bato off, "Katara, I want you to bend as much water as you can between us and those rocks… Now!"

Katara quickly began swaying her arms, bending the water underneath the boat while Aang Airbended blasts of wind into the sail. The boat began to rise and move faster as Katara bended the water beneath them and Aang continued tossing air in to the sail until the boat passed right over the rocks, causing Sokka to groan in relief then sail the boat into clear water.

The young Water Tribe warrior sighed and relaxed happily as the boat reached clear water while Aang, Katara and Bato smiled proudly at him. Sokka smiled back and then directed the boat back to the shore.

* * *

"The spirits of water bear witness to these marks." Bato intoned as he dipped his finger into the blue cuttlefish paint then turned to Sokka, "For Sokka the Mark of the Wise."

Bato used his thumb to paint an arc with a small dot underneath it on Sokka's forehead and proudly stated, "The same mark your father earned."

"For Katara," Bato said as he moved onto the dark-haired girl and painted a crescent moon onto her forehead, "the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us."

Bato stopped in front of Aang and smiled down at the younger boy then used his thumb to pain an arc on his forehead, "And for Aang, the Mark of the Trusted. You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe."

Aang stared up at him for a moment then looked down shamefully, "I can't."

"Of course you can!" Katara exclaimed happily, not understanding what the boy meant.

"No," Aang denied quietly as he wiped the mark away with his sleeve and didn't meet his friends' eyes, "You can't trust me."

"Aang, what are you talking about?" Katara questioned in concern, her expression confused.

"A messenger gave this to me for Bato." Aang said as he pulled the crumpled paper from his shirt sleeve and Katara took it, "You _have _to understand. I was afraid you would-"

"This is the map to our father!" Sokka shouted angrily as he cut Aang off with a furious look, "You had this the whole time? How could you?"

Aang shrugged helplessly and winced as Sokka continued to shout angrily at him.

"Well, you can go to the North Pole on your own. I'm going to find Dad." Sokka snapped angrily as he began to walk away.

"Well, Sokka. I think you should-" Bato started to say in an attempt to get the younger warrior to listen to Aang's explanation but Sokka cut him off as he turned to look at his sister.

"Katara, are you with me?"

Katara hesitated and looked back at Aang then closed her eyes as she turned away, "I'm with you, Sokka."

Aang watched sadly as Sokka, Katara, and Bato walked back to the abbey. He stood on the beach for a moment then trailed after them slowly with his head hung low in shame.

* * *

"Umpf!" Xiaodan gave a muffled growl as she was once again tossed back into the saddle behind Iroh, this time with a gag over her mouth, the punishment for her latest escape attempt.

Zuko scowled deeply as he climbed back into the saddle behind her, this time leaning back as far as he could without falling off and still allowed him to keep his arm around her waist. He was getting sick and tired of her tossing herself from the saddle then shouting insults at him after he caught her again. He ignored the amused looks on his uncle's and June's face as the bounty woman cracked her whip again, sending the shirshu lunging forward again.

Zuko leaned forward until his mouth was near the white-haired girl's ear and he hissed, "Next time, I let the beast paralyze you."

Xiaodan gave a muffled snarl and whipped her head to the side in an attempt to hit him in the face but Zuko had seen that coming and had already leaned away from her again, a smug smirk on his scarred face.

* * *

Aang watched sadly from Appa's head as Bato helped Katara secure her pack while Sokka strapped his own to his back. Katara pursed her lips slightly and walked over to stand in front of Appa, looking up at Aang sadly.

"Good luck." She said and Aang nodded.

"Okay. You too."

The young Airbender watched as she joined Sokka and Bato by the abbey gate then they left. Aang sighed quietly when Mother Superior walked in front of Appa and stared up at Aang with slight disappointment in her old eyes.

"Guess I should be moving on." Aang stated half-heartedly as picked up Appa's reins.

"That would be best." The old nun agreed and Aang tugged on Appa's reins, causing the bison to growl lowly as he plodded out of the abbey gate.

Aang stopped Appa for a moment and watched as Sokka, Katara, and Bato disappeared down the road.

"I'm an idiot, Momo." Aang sighed as he turned Appa in the opposite direction that the three Water Tribe members were going in, towards the beach, and Momo chittered at him in apparent agreement.

* * *

The nuns milled around the abbey courtyard, some stirring the large vats of perfume when a sudden rumbling caused them all to look towards the abbey gates. Their eyes widened and they cried out in fright when a massive creature with a dark-haired woman, an old man, a bound-and-gagged white-haired girl, and a teenage boy with a horrible scar on the left side of his face on its back. They watched in terror as the creature began sniffing around then hissed as it faced the gate again.

"We're getting close." The dark-haired woman stated as she whipped the creature and it raced out back out of the abbey into the woods.

The white-haired girl's terrified and angry eyes were the last thing the Mother Superior saw before the creature and its riders disappeared completely.

* * *

Bato, Katara, and Sokka walked along the back that cut through the woods. A wolf's howl in the distance caused them to stop and look in the direction it had come from.

"That wolf sounds so sad." Katara commented with a small frown.

"It's probably wounded." Sokka stated but Bato shook his head as turned to face the two siblings standing behind him.

"No," he denied softly, "It's been separated from the pack. I understand that pain. It's how I felt when the Water Tribe warriors had to leave me behind. They were my family and being apart from them was more painful than my wounds."

Sokka looked down sadly as he remembered standing at the edge of the pier in his village, watching as his father's fleet sailed away from him.

"Sokka?" Katara whispered quietly as she looked at her brother's back imploringly.

"We need to go back." The younger warrior stated with a determined expression as he turned to face his sister and Katara, "I wanna see Dad, but, helping Aang is where we're needed the most."

"You're right." Katara agreed with a smile as she moved to stand beside her brother, "Especially since Xia isn't with him."

Bato walked up to the two siblings and put his hands on their shoulders, "Your father will understand and I know he's proud of you."

"Thanks, Bato." Sokka said with a grateful smile up at the older warrior.

"I know where to go from here." Bato said as he pulled the map out and handed it to Sokka, "Take this in case you want to find us. I'll leave a message at the rendezvous point."

* * *

Aang sighed as he sat on Appa's head, looking out at the water with the abandoned Water Tribe ship behind him.

"Looks like we're going alone, guys." He murmured to the bison and lemur when a sudden noise grabbed his attention and he looked towards the path where the head nun was racing towards him.

"Avatar!" Mother Superior cried out urgently as she reached him, "You must leave!"

"Okay, I get it." Aang said in annoyed exasperation, "Everybody wants me gone."

"A group of people came to the abbey looking for you." The Mother Superior stated in a panic, seemingly not hearing what Aang had said.

Aang started and he looked at the woman urgently, "Who?"

"A fierce looking woman with a horrible monster and a young man with a scar." The elderly nun said quickly and Aang's eyes narrowed.

"Zuko."

"The beast was using the scent of a necklace to follow you." Mother Superior explained and she looked up at nervously.

"What necklace?" Aang muttered then gasped as his eyes widened, "Katara!"

* * *

Katara and Sokka hurried back down the path towards the abbey, hoping to catch Aang before he left with Appa when Sokka suddenly heard a loud rumbling. The young Water Tribe warrior put his hand up, stopping his sister from walking any further just as a large creature leapt out of the trees behind them, causing both Sokka and Katara to whirl around with wide, fearful eyes.

"So this is your girlfriend." June stated as she looked Katara over while Zuko jumped from the saddle, "No wonder she left, she's way to pretty for you."

Xiaodan gave a muffled shout around her gag as she tried to lean around Iroh to look at the two siblings, joy at seeing them and panic them being caught warring inside her heart.

"Where is he?" Zuko demanded as he stomped towards the siblings and glared at them, "Where is the Avatar."

"We split up." Sokka replied and Xiaodan felt both relief and panic that the siblings would leave her brother alone, "He's long gone."

"How stupid do you think I am?" Zuko growled and his eyes narrowed angrily.

"Pretty stupid." Sokka replied with smirk then he grabbed Katara's arm and yanked her behind him when he started running, "Run!"

Nyla's tongue lashed out, striking both Katara and Sokka at the same time and the two siblings fell to the ground, completely paralyzed.

"Katara! Sokka!" Xiaodan tried to shout around the gag but all that came out was muffled gibberish.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Zuko demanded in irritation as he looked at the two Water Tribe peasants lying on the ground.

June clicked her tongue and nudged Nyla's sides with her heels, urging the shirshu towards the prone Water Tribe siblings. Xiaodan growled lowly around her gag and kicked Zuko in the shoulder as Nyla passed him, causing the banished Fire Nation prince to snarl angrily up at her.

"It's seeking a different scent." June stated as Nyla began to sniff the Water Tribe boy, "Perhaps something that the Avatar held."

Nyla knocked a scroll from Sokka's pack and began sniffing it, then he lifted his head in the direction of abbey, screeching loudly. Zuko smirked and grabbed the two paralyzed teens, tossing them onto the shirshu's back then climbing back into the saddle behind Xiaodan.

"Hey, Xia, nice to see you again." Sokka quipped weakly when he caught sight of the white-haired girl as the shirshu ran back towards the abbey, "We've missed you."

Xiaodan made a noise of sad agreement as she tried to look at the brother and sister not only over her shoulder but Zuko's as well.

* * *

The nuns cried out in fright and scattered when the creature crashed through the abbey wooden gates again.

"What's it doing?" Zuko asked in annoyance as Nyla began sniffing the ground and turning in circles, "It's just going in a circle."

Nyla turned in a circle again then lifted his head to follow the blue scent trail just as Aang flew straight towards them. The shirshu stood on his hind legs as Aang flew over him and lashed out with his tongue, missing the Avatar completely as he continued to fall backwards which threw off his rides. Xiaodan grunted when she landed on top of Zuko then grunted again when the prince shoved her off him a moment later.

"Aang!" Katara exclaimed excitedly when she saw the just as June jumped to her feet.

"Up!" the bounty woman barked at her shirshu with a snap of her whip and Nyla rolled to her feet, June jumping back into the saddle a moment later.

Aang landed near the well and turned around, staring at the large creature and its rider as they charged towards him only to have Appa knock them away as he rammed into the shirshu's side. Appa snorted and growled angrily as he stood in front of the downed duo, leaving Aang and Zuko to face each other behind him.

Two others dragged Sokka and Katara to safety leaning them against a far wall while a third helped Xiaodan to her feet and lead her over to the two siblings.

"Thanks!" Xiaodan gasped when the nun removed the gag then the nun began working on the knots keeping the white-haired girl's arms pinned to her sides.

Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka watched with wide eyes as Zuko and Aang began to fight each other. Zuko sent a blast of fire at the bald boy but Aang dispersed it with his staff, sending his own air blast at the older teen.

Aang used his staff to send another air blast at Zuko but the prince sidestepped and launched his own fire blast which Aang jumped over to avoid. Zuko moved closer, sending a fireball at Aang's head then his feet. Aang tossed his staff into the air and began twirling around Zuko as the prince kicked and punched fire at him but Aang kept dancing around him gracefully. Aang sent an air blast at Zuko's head but the prince ducked easily and sent more fireballs at Aang, then Aang launched an air blast at Zuko at the same time the prince sent his own fire blast at him, creating a large explosion that formed a mushroom cloud around them.

"Aang!" Xiaodan shouted in panic as she watched her brother and Zuko soar through the air in opposite directions and land on two different roofs.

The white-haired girl began to wiggle violently until the partially untied ropes keeping her arms pinned loosened and fell around her feet, leaving only the ropes around her wrists the last of her bonds. The nun from before quickly grabbed Xiaodan's wrists and began undoing the knotted rope with nimble fingers while Xiaodan watched in horror as Iroh helped June regain consciousness from across the courtyard.

The bounty woman jumped to her feet and whipped the still downed shirshu, "Come on! Get up!"

Nyla rolled back to her feet again and Iroh smiled slightly as he watched June jump into the saddle, racing towards Appa. The giant sky bison leapt into the air and Nyla skidded to a halt, lashing out his barbed tongue and striking one of Appa's hind legs, causing the bison to crash to the ground with a crash. June smirked as she looked at the downed bison only for the smirk to be wiped away when Appa's eyes snapped open and he got back to his feet with a growl. June whipped Nyla and the shirshu screeched then charged headlong towards Appa. The bison charged forward as well and the two large beasts collided headfirst into each other, sending June flying from the saddle. The bounty woman twisted in midair and snapped her whip, striking Appa once before she landed on her backside with a grunt. June gasped and rolled away just as Appa spun around and stomped on the ground where June had been a moment before, cracking the ground.

* * *

Aang groaned and lifted his head only to gasp when he saw Zuko running straight towards him with his arm pointed to the side with fire streaming from his fingertips which he swung it towards Aang. Aang jumped into the air and flipped over Zuko, landing on the thin beam at the top of the room in the crane stance. Zuko spun around and leapt at him, kicking a blast of fire at the Airbender. Aang jumped into the air again and sent an air blast at Zuko, but the prince dodged and launched another volley of flames at Aang as he landed back on the roof, knocking him onto his back. Aang dispersed the flames by spin his hands and leapt to his feet, sending a powerful gust of air at Zuko and knocking him back into an abbey corner tower. Aang then ran towards Zuko the same way the prince had earlier, a stream of air spiraling from his fingertips as he swung his arm towards the scarred prince.

Zuko looked up in time to leap off the roof and back down to the courtyard and Aang went to follow him but was forced to back up when Nyla jumped onto the roof right in front of him. Appa roared angrily as the shirshu chased Aang across the roof. The bison turned around and slapped his tail against the ground, sending a huge blast of air at Nyla, who barely managed to dodge as the roof was torn right off.

* * *

"I'm starting to get some feeling back!" Sokka said excitedly as his hand twitched only for some rubble from the roof to land on him, "Ow."

"Yes!" Xiaodan cheered as the nun managed to undo the last knot and the rope fell to ground, her hands now free and just in time.

The white-haired girl raced forward when she saw Aang jump into the abbey's courtyard stream with Nyla in hot pursuit then he jumped out and the shirshu leapt on to the roof. The female Airbender jumped into the air and landed beside Appa, sending a huge blast of air spiraling from her palms at the same time the sky bison slapped his tail against the ground and sent his own air blast at the shirshu. The two air blasts combined and doubled in strength as it hit the roof where June and Nyla had been, causing it to explode and send up a cloud of dust.

* * *

Iroh stood off the side by one of the barrels of perfumes, with some of the perfume already in bottles resting on top of it as he ignored the battle going on behind him. The old man picked up one of the bottles and sniffed it, a sly smile appearing on his face as he slipped the bottle into his sleeve.

* * *

Aang panted slightly as he landed in front of the well then lunged behind it when Zuko sent a large fire blast him. Zuko raced forward and began sending three fireballs in rapid succession at the Avatar through the space between the pillars but Aang twirled out of the way of each one. Zuko sent another blast and Aang dodge behind the opposite side of the well, ducking again to avoid the prince's next fireball. As he straightened, Aang caught sight of the blue necklace wrapped around Zuko's extended arm and his eyes narrowed.

"You've got something I want." Aang stated then jumped between the four beams supporting the well covering, his gaze briefly landing on a familiar white-haired figure using Airbending alongside Appa to keep the shirshu occupied, "Two some things in fact."

Zuko growled and launched multiple fire blasts at Aang but the bald boy dodged each one by moving into different positions between the beams. Finally, Zuko punched two of the well's support beams in half then kicked the rest of the covering away. Aang jumped over the broken well covering then landed on the well's edge just as Zuko leapt onto the edge opposite him. The two danced around the well's ledge, sending blasts of air and fire at the each other. Aang sent two air blasts at Zuko then tried to snatch Katara's necklace from Zuko's wrist but missed when the prince pulled his arm back.

Zuko lunged forward, punching a fire blast at the young Airbender but Aang jumped up and over him, kicking Zuko between the shoulders and sending him crashing to the ground but not before Aang managed to hook his foot around Katara's necklace. Aang flipped through the air and grabbed the necklace from his foot then dived straight into the well.

"Argh!" Zuko roared as he leapt into the air and sent a powerful fire blast down into well then landed on the rim, a huge geyser of water throwing him into the air a moment later.

Aang flipped out of the well and landed in a crouch, the well water raining down on him as Zuko hit the ground on the other side of the well. The prince growled and lunged to his feet, launching a blast of fire at the Avatar as he moved towards him only to back up quickly when the bison suddenly stomped towards him.

The shirshu's barbed tongue struck his cheek and Appa growled as he tried to keep moving. Xiaodan flipped over Appa's body and sent an air blast at June and Nyla, who jumped out of the way, the shirshu lashing her tongue in the white-haired girl's direction. Xiaodan ducked and rolled across the ground as June snapped her whip, causing Nyla to screech then lash out with his tongue twice in rapid succession, striking Appa's face both times. The bison rumbled lowly and tried to move forward again, but the shirshu's toxins were too much and he fell onto his side with a loud crash.

"Appa!" Xiaodan shouted then whirled around to face June, swinging her leg up and sending a crescent of air at the woman and her mount.

June's lip curled into a snarl as Nyla leapt to the side, dodging the blast then lashed out with her tongue but missed when the female Airbender jumped into the air. Xiaodan continued to twist, duck, and dance away as June snapped her whip and Nyla chased after the white-haired girl, trying to hit her with his barbed tongue.

* * *

Mother Superior hurried out of one of a large hole in one of the abbey's buildings and waved a vial of perfume under Sokka and Katara's noses, causing Sokka to gag and Katara to straighten up, the paralyze gone.

"That thing sees with its nose." Sokka stated as he rubbed his wrist and watched as Xiaodan danced around the shirshu and its rider, "Let's give him something to look at."

"The perfume?" Mother Superior questioned and Sokka nodded with a smirk.

A couple of the nuns quickly wheeled out four large pots of the perfume then the nuns and Sokka pushed the pots over, spilling the perfume onto the ground, just as Zuko and the shirshu cornered Aang and Xiaodan.

* * *

Xiaodan grabbed Aang and spun him to the side as she used an air shield to disperse the fireball Zuko at launched at her brother. Aang yelped and twirled away when the shirshu's tongue almost struck him a moment later.

"Hey, little brother!" The white-haired girl gasped, ducking when Nyla's tongue lashed above her head and she yanked Aang to the side as Zuko sent another blast at them, "How ya been?"

"I've been better actually!" Aang shouted in reply as he grabbed Xiaodan and the two ducked the shirshu's tongue then twirled away from each other as another fireball struck the wall between them, "How about you!"

Xiaodan opened her mouth to reply with a cheeky comment but only managed to squeal and jump into the air when Nyla's barbed tongue nearly smacked her in the face, hitting the wall behind her instead.

* * *

The nuns and Sokka quickly pushed the pots over, spilling the perfume onto the ground around Katara, who began to Waterbend the perfume into the air then she directed it over to where the shirshu and Zuko had Aang and Xiaodan cornered, dumping the perfume all over the creature.

Nyla shook his head rapidly as he perfume began to clog his nose and his 'vision' began to blur together until he couldn't see anything clearly. The panicked shirshu screeched and lashed out randomly with its tongue, hitting Zuko in the chest and knocking him to the ground with a loud gasp of surprise.

June jumped from the saddle and tried to sooth the creature but Nyla was too panicked and he swung his head, lashing out at the bounty woman with his tongue.

"June! No!" Iroh cried out as he hurried forward and caught the now paralyzed woman in his arms, both of them falling to the ground.

Aang and Xiaodan hurried over to where Katara and Sokka were standing by the spilled perfumes pots with the nuns and they all watched as the shirshu began to run around in a circle then crashed head first into more perfume pots. The blinded shirshu screeched and scrambled up the and over the abbey wall, disappearing into the forest beyond.

* * *

Aang walked over and picked up the staff and wiped his brow, smiling when Katara and Sokka stood next him with smiles on their faces.

"Aang!" Xiaodan exclaimed happily as she raced towards her brother and threw her arms around her brother, embracing him tightly, "Oh, Spirits, I've been _so _worried about you, little brother!"

Aang laughed happily as he clung tightly to his sister, pressing his face against the side of her neck as he took a moment to bask in the warm, sisterly embrace he had missed for the past few weeks. Katara and Sokka smiled happily as they watched the two Airbenders embrace before Xiaodan pulled away slightly and grabbed the brother and sister by the arms, pulling them into the hug.

"I've missed you all so much!" She stated, hugging them all to her as delighted tears filled her eyes, "So very much…"

Aang smiled and wrapped his arm tighter around Xiaodan's waist while Katara and Sokka hugged her tightly as well, silently expressing that they had missed her a lot too.

* * *

"Uncle?" Zuko muttered, looking at his uncle lying next to him with June lying on top of him, "I didn't see you get hit with the tongue."

"Shh…" Iroh shushed him, putting his finger to his lips before putting his hand back down and reclosing his eyes with a blissful smile on his face.

June's eyes snapped open and she glared up at Iroh angrily. Zuko pursed his lips as he glared at the space in front of him, his keen ears picking up the sounds of the Avatar and the Water Tribe peasants leaving along with his the white-haired girl.

'_This isn't over…'_ The scarred prince thought darkly as he mental swore to capture the Avatar and the annoying white-haired Airbending pest and deliver both of them to his father.

* * *

"So… Where do we go?" Aang asked as he hung sat cross-legged beside Xiaodan on Appa's head, looking over his shoulder at Sokka and Katara nervously.

"We're getting _you _to the North Pole." Katara replied with a smile.

"Yeah," Sokka agreed with his own smile, "We've lost too much time as it is."

Aang turned towards the siblings and leaned against the front of the saddle with Xiaodan right beside, more than a little insecure about leaving his side at the moment.

"Don't you want to see you father?" Aang asked and Xiaodan looked at the Water Tribe siblings, having already been filled in on what had happened before she had rejoined them.

"Of course we do, Aang." Sokka responded matter-of-factly, "But, you're our family too, you and Xia. And right now, you need us more."

"And _we _need you." Katara piped in with an affectionate smile at the two Airbenders, but mostly at Aang.

"I wish I could you a little piece of home, Katara." Aang said as he folded his head on the front of the saddle and rested his chin on his arms while Xiaodan watched in amusement, "Something to remind you…"

"I'll be okay." Katara assured him, though her expression was slightly sad.

"Still, just a little trinket. Maybe something like…" Aang trailed off then held up Katara's necklace with a proud smile on his face, "This?"

Xiaodan watched as Katara's eyes went wide and she took the necklace gently from Aang's hand.

"Aang, how'd you get that?" Katara whispered in shock as she put the necklace on.

Aang smirked at her, "Zuko asked me to be _sure _I got it to you."

"Aw, that so sweet of Zuko." Katara cooed sarcastically as she batted her eyelashes, "Could you give him a kiss for me when you see him?"

"Sure." Aang agreed with a grin then blushed brightly and started twiddling his thumbs when Katara kissed his cheek.

Xiaodan laughed lightly and rubbed Aang's head affectionately, but her tone was semi-serious, "I'd rather we _didn't _see that annoying, grouchy Prince of the Firebugs anytime soon, if you don't mind."

"Oh, Xia, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-" Katara started to apologize, having temporarily forgotten just where the white-haired Airbender had been for the past couple of weeks.

Xiaodan waved her hand dismissively, "S'alright, Katara."

"Do you want to talk about?" Aang asked compassionately with a touch of worry as he touched his sister's shoulder gently.

"Yeah, we're all kinda curious about what happened." Sokka piped in then yelped in pain when Katara smacked him upside the head.

"Sokka!"

"What?!" Sokka demanded as he rubbed his head with a pout, "Don't deny it, you're just as curious as I am."

"It's fine." Xiaodan broke in before the two siblings could start to bicker, something she had actually kind of missed, "But I'd rather not talk about it right now, if you don't mind."

"Of course." Aang agreed with a smile as he impulsively hugged Xiaodan around the waist, "You can talk whenever you feel ready, we'll be here."

Xiaodan smiled with sisterly affection at the bald boy as she kissed the top of his head lightly. She was happy to be back with her brother, Sokka, and Katara but she couldn't deny that a part of her would miss Iroh terribly. He reminded her of Monk Gyatso and that had endeared the tea-loving old man to her. And although she would never admit it, a very, very small part of her would miss arguing with the Firebug, simply because he was so easy to rile up.

"Hey, Xia?" Sokka's voice broke Xiaodan's train of thought and she turned to look at him curiously, "Where are your Air Nomad clothes?"

Xiaodan looked down at herself and realized with a start that she was still in the outfit Iroh and Zuko had bought her, the Earth Kingdom clothes that were in Fire Nation colors.

"Er… Probably back on Firebug's ship…"

The three looked at her strangely but Xiaodan just shrugged her shoulders and twirled her finger around her temple in the universal sign for insanity. Sokka, Katara, and Aang shared a look then shrugged, deciding to let it go.

* * *

**Author's Note: Long chapter is freaking long! Seriously 23¼ pages, not including the author's notes. Anyhooties, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and is happy that Xia has been—at least temporarily—reunited with the GAang. Anyhooties again, next chapter takes place during Season 1 Episode 16: The Deserter and it will be posted on Tuesday, so stay tuned for that!**

**PS - OH MY GOD 101 REVIEWS! –spazzes out– You guys are awesome, completely and totally freaking awesome! Seriously my mind is blown, I really only expected this story to get maybe 45-50 but it's doubled that and I'm just like spazzing out like that guy from Kyoshi Island that always starts foaming at the mouth whenever Aang is on the island, you know expect for the foaming at the mouth part. I haven't gone **_**that **_**rabid. Anyhooties, I just wanted to thank all you guys for being such amazing readers and reviewers, seriously never would have done it without you guys!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are awesome and I lurves you!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Probably around the middle of Season 2, where Azula took Zuko's place as the main antagonist of the series. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Angel2u: **Maybe, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Claret Tho: **That's what I was thinking about doing, because I really can't see Xia just leaving Iroh when he's injured even if Zuko is there to help him. I mean Iroh is sorta like a father-figure to her and he was nice when Zuko captured her in the beginning so she'd probably want to repay him. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Dream lighting: **Er, it was a joke. I wasn't actually going to have Iroh play matchmaker, though he might help Zuko out a bit when the stubborn dork realizes his feeling but other than that, Iroh is no Patti Stanger. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**LadyAmazon: **Haha, they're great aren't they? My sister and I came up with them when we first started watching the series. We'd always end up yelling various things like that at the TV whenever Zuko did something stupid. XD  
I hope Xia and Aang's reunion was sort of a surprise, though I'm not really sure it was. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I was thinking about that but it's hard for me to think of a good way for her to be kidnapped by Zuko at the end of The Siege of the North Part 2 since technically Zuko gets his butt knocked unconscious by Katara after he kidnaps Aang's body and I honestly can't see him capturing Xiaodan when he manages to escape from the GAang the goes and beats the crap outta Zhao. I really think having Xia join Zuko and Iroh near the end of the Chase might be the best idea, since I really can't see Xia just leaving and not bothering to help Iroh after he was injured, especially because he was so kind to her when she was captured by Zuko. Also, can you clarify what you meant by it being cliché? If you gave me some examples, I could try an avoid being cliché. Plus, there are some pretty intense parts with Zuko in the episodes after the Chase that I think Xia would do well in. Eh, I still haven't really decided yet, I'll probably write two different chapters for each idea and see which I like better. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**88dragon06: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, the matchmaking Iroh bit was my sister's idea, she thought it would be hilarious. That's okay, I've actually gone back to my elementary school days and have taken some alternative cursing inspiration from that, since you know 2nd grades back in the day call be assholes and all those lovely 'adult' curses like they do today. Anyhooties, it's okay, I think I'll be indecisive about the whole thing until I actually get up to that point then I'll just write whatever comes to me when I watch those episodes. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: **Haha, I'm glad you like the story so much! I hope you like this chapter too!

**DreamNumber3: **Huh, I didn't even think about that. I'll have to give it a try and see how it flows. Thanks for the idea. :) I hope you like this chapter!


	17. Chapter 17: The Deserter

**AN: Chapter 17 takes place during Season 1 Episode 16: The Deserter, which is a pretty interesting episode I think. Anyhooties, various POVs as usual, so enjoy lovelies!**

* * *

"This should give us a good idea of what's around here." Katara said as she walked towards the small kiosk at the crossroads they had followed the path too.

Xiaodan folded her hands behind her in a relaxed position as she followed the dark-haired girl over to the kiosk and read one of the poster's curiously while Aang trailed after the white-haired girl.

"See if you can find a menu." Sokka quipped as he held an empty pouch upside down, "I'm starving!"

"I bet we'll find something to eat here, the Fire Day's festival." Aang commented and pointed to the poster Katara and Xiaodan were looking at, then he began to read what it said aloud, "Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, benders, magicians."

Aang trailed off and he turned to the two girls with an excited look on his face, causing Xiaodan to quirk a dark brow at him curiously.

"This would be a great place for me to study some real Firebenders!"

Xiaodan stared at her brother as if he'd grown a second head and started walking around, quacking like a turkey-duck.

"You might wanna rethink that." Sokka said drily from the other side of the kiosk, "Lost at this."

Aang and Xiaodan walked over to the young warrior too see what was on the other side of the kiosk.

"Hey, a poster of me!" Aang exclaimed and Sokka crossed his arms over his chest.

"A wanted poster." He grumbled and shook his head while Aang took own the poster, "This is bad."

"I think we better keep moving." Katara commented as she and Xiaodan stared at the poster over Aang's shoulder.

"That maybe for the best." Xiaodan agreed as she read the poster, "Every Fire Nation soldier is probably looking for you, little brother."

Aang looked up at the two girls almost pleadingly, "I have to learn Firebending at some point and this could be my only chance to watch a master up close."

The two girls pursed their lips and looked at each other indecisively.

"I guess we could check it out." Katara stated unsurely as she looked at the ground.

"But!" Xiaodan cut in, when Aang pumped his fist in the air excitedly, "We have to be very careful and remain inconspicuous."

"What?!" Sokka demanded, looking at the two girls in shock, "You wanna walk into a Fire Nation town where they're all fired-up with their, you know, fire?"

"We'll were disguises." Xiaodan responded easily as she walked over to Appa with Katara and Aang, "Well, you guys will, I'll just do something about my hair."

"Besides," Katara added, "If it looks like trouble, we'll leave."

"Yeah," Sokka muttered sarcastically as he followed after the other three, "Because we always leave _before _we get into trouble."

Xiaodan giggled quietly and hopped into Appa's saddle then grabbed Katara's hand and pulled her up beside her.

* * *

"You guys stay out sight here while we go to the festival." Aang instructed Appa and Momo when they reached the edge of the forest a little bit a ways from the Fire Nation town and the two ducked down behind a small bush that barely covered Appa's face.

Aang smiled then turned to Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka, "Ready disguises!"

Sokka and Katara pulled the hoods of their black cloaks up over their heads while Xiaodan ruffled her soot-darkened hair gently so that it hid her face slightly. The three turned to look at Aang as he turned back around, his orange shawl pulled over his head and a large grin on his young face.

"It's like you're a whole different person…" Sokka commented sarcastically as he looked at Aang's 'disguise' and crossed his arms over his chest, causing Katara and Xiaodan giggled behind their hands.

"Let's go." Aang said as he turned and started walking down the hill in the direction of the Fire Nation town with Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka trailing after him.

* * *

The four entered the town and looked, taking in all the people wearing masks and having a good time.

"I think we need some new disguises." Katara muttered as the four pressed close together.

"Where are we gonna get masks like that?" Sokka grumbled in frustration, a frown marring his tanned face.

"Get your genuine Fire Festival masks here!" A merchant behind them shouted, holding up a white and red mask as he gestured to the other masks on his stall.

Xiaodan, Katara, Aang hurried towards the stall while Sokka remained where he was for a moment, his eyes wide.

"That as surprisingly easy." He muttered then hurried over to his sister and two friends.

The four each grabbed a mask; Katara chose a lady with makeup, Xiaodan picked white mask with a flame design one side, Sokka selected a blue smiling mask with pale yellow petals around the rim, and Aang had put on a red mask with a severe frown.

Katara and Xiaodan looked between the two boys then Katara removed Sokka's mask revealing his frowning face while Xiaodan took off Aang's, revealing the large grin on his face. The two girls exchanged masks then Sokka put the frowning red mask on Sokka and Xiaodan put the smiling blue on Aang. Xiaodan giggled quietly and high-fived Katara, then the four began walking further into the village, taking in the sights of the festival.

"Hey, there's some food!" Aang stated, pointing towards a stand across the courtyard.

"Finally!" Sokka exclaimed and rushed towards the stand, pushing past Xiaodan, Aang, and Katara who followed at a more sedate pace.

"What do ya have?" Sokka asked the man behind the food stall as he walked closer, putting his hand on the counter.

"Flaming fire flakes." The shop keeper said, holding out a small bag with smoking red flakes inside to Sokka as Katara, Xiaodan, and Aang approached, "Best in town."

"I'll take 'em!" Sokka said happily as he snatched the bag and began shoving the fire flakes into his mouth rapidly.

"Er, you might want to slow down, Sokka." Xiaodan advised a little too late.

"Aaahhh!" Sokka yelped, spitting out the flakes and rubbing hurriedly at his tongue, "Hot! Hot!"

"'Flaming fire flakes', hot?" Katara drawled sarcastically and crossed her arms over her chest, "What do you know."

Xiaodan chuckled then smiled when a couple of kids ran past them.

"Hey look at this!" Aang said excitedly as he looked in the direction the kids had run in and the four over where a small puppet stage was set up with the kids sitting on low benches in front of it.

The four watched as the curtains pulled back, revealing a hand-puppet of the Fire Lord which caused the children to cheer and lift their arms in the air.

"Don't worry loyal citizens!" The Fire Lord puppet said, "No one can surprise the Fire Lord!"

The children gasped in horror when another puppet dressed as an Earth Kingdom general with a rock in one hand popped up behind the puppet.

"Oh no! Look out!" A few of the kids exclaimed, some even covering their eyes, "Look out!"

Xiaodan, Katara, Aang, and Sokka flinched when the Fire Lord puppet suddenly breathed fire and burned the other puppet completely, causing the children to cheer loudly again.

"Okay…" Xiaodan muttered and grabbed Aang and Katara's arms, pulling them away from the puppet show with Sokka hurrying after them, "Moving on."

The four walked around for a few more minutes until Aang suddenly rushed towards a large crowd standing around a raised stage near the back of the courtyard.

"Aang, hold on!" Xiaodan called out as she and Katara hurried after the boy.

"Where are we going?" Katara asked from behind the younger Airbender.

"I don't know." Aang asked with a shrug, "But there's a big crowd so it must be good."

"Knowing the Fire Nation, it's probably an execution." Sokka quipped sarcastically as the four pushed their way to the front of the stage.

Xiaodan snorted a laugh and stood between Aang and Sokka, watching a man in white and red clothes Firebend a couple fireballs all around his body before causing them to explode into three doves that flew over the crowd.

Aang tilted his mask up and looked up at the Firebender in awe, "I gotta learn that trick!"

"I don't really think that's the kind of Firebending you're supposed to learn, little brother." Xiaodan commented off-handedly in a soft tone, her lips quirked in a grin behind her mask.

"Thank you!" The Firebender magician cried out dramatically after bowing, "For my next trick I need a volunteer from the audience!"

"Oh! Oh!" Aang shouted as he started bouncing and waving his hand in the air childishly, "Me! Me!"

"What do you think you're doing?" Sokka hissed as he pushed Aang's hand back down.

It's better that we don't attract any attention to ourselves." Katara added and Xiaodan nodded in agreement.

"We need to remain inconspicuous, little brother."

The three were distracted from scolding Aang when Malu appeared at the edge of the stage in front of them.

"How about you, little lady?" He asked, holding his hand out to Katara.

"Uh…" Katara stuttered, backing away and holding her hand up in rejection.

"Aw, she's shy!" Malu cooed then looked out to the crowd. "Let's give her some encouragement, folks!"

The crowd cheered and one kid even pushed Katara towards the stage where Malu grabbed her hand and pulled her up onto the stage.

"Aw!" Aang whined, crossing his arms petulantly over his chest, "That could have been me."

Xiaodan shook her head and patted the top of his head affectionately then turned back to the stage.

"This next trick is called 'Taming the Dragon.'" Malu exclaimed grandly as he pushed Katara into a seat in the middle of the stage then used a piece of red cloth he pulled from his sleeve to tie her to the chair, "You will be my captured princess!"

Malu stood and Firebended the flames at the top of the four pillars into a dragon, which he directed around the stage.

"Don't worry, young maiden! I will tame this fiery beast!" Malu cried out, creating a fire whip which he attached the bottom of the dragon, then his expression became comically distressed, "It's too strong, I can't hold it!"

"We gotta help her!" Aang shouted but Sokka grabbed him by the arms, keeping him from running up on stage.

"No, we don't want to make a scene!"

"The rope, it's breaking!" Malu exclaimed theatrically as the fire-rope attached the dragon dispersed and the fire-dragon began flying directly towards Katara.

Katara whimpered and shut her eyes tightly as the fire-dragon came closer, causing Aang to break free of Sokka's grip and jump on stage in front of the distressed Water Tribe girl. Aang twisted around and Airbended a large funnel of air from his hands that the fire-dragon flew straight into, causing the flames to disperse and turn into an array of colored confetti.

"Hey, you tryin' to upstage me kid?" Malu demanded quietly from where he had fallen on the stage as he glared at Aang.

His mask having been blown off, Aang looked at the confetti in confusion and held his hand up to catch some of the colored paper. The crowd began booing loudly and Aang started dancing goofily as Sokka and Xiaodan climbed onto the stage. Sokka hurried over to his sister and began untying her from the chair while Xiaodan grabbed Aang by the arm in an attempt to stop his goofy dance.

"Hey!" Someone in the crowd shouted suddenly, "That kid's the Avatar!"

Aang froze and Xiaodan grabbed his arm tightly as Fire Nation guards began pushing through the crowd towards the stage with their spears raised.

"I think it's time to go!" Xiaodan stated as she, Katara, and Sokka removed their masks and dropped them on the ground.

"Follow me!" A man in a dark gray cloak with a cloth mask covering his lower face said suddenly from behind the destroyed wall of the stage as he gestured for the foursome to follow him, "I can get you out of here!"

"Let's go!" Xiaodan urged, pushing Aang, Sokka, and Katara forward urgently when she saw the guards had reached the stage.

"There they are!" A guard shouted as the guards climbed onto the stage.

The four teens ran through the hole in the wall and past the man, who threw a smoke bomb at the Fire Nation guards chasing them.

Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Xiaodan ran after the man as he lead them through the crowded streets where people were still enjoying the festival.

"Over there!" Another guard yelled, pointing to the five as they ran past him and few other soldiers.

The five raced down an alley with the guards chasing after them. Aang reached into his shirt and pulled out the bison whistle.

"I'm calling Appa." He stated then quickly took a deep breath and blew the whistle.

"I really hope he can hear that bison whistle!" Sokka squawked as he glanced over his shoulder at the guards still chasing them.

"This way!" The mystery man called over his shoulder as he turned a sharp corner then skidded to a halt with the four friends almost running into him when some of the guards appeared at the end of the alley, "Okay! Not this way!"

The man threw another smoke bomb and the five turned down another alley only to skid to a stop again when they reached the end of the alley which was being blocked by a huge supply of fireworks. The five turned around as the guards appeared and started walking towards them with their spears pointed at them menacingly. Xiaodan slipping into a defensive bending stance in front of Sokka, Katara, and Aang with the mystery man in front of her.

"Appa!" Aang shouted suddenly and the five looked up as the flying bison soared towards them, "Down here!"

Appa growled and landed in the alley between the five and the guards with his back to the Fire Nation soldiers. The sky bison slapped his tail against the ground and sent a gale force wind at the guards, blowing them clear out of sight.

"Yip-yip! Yip-yip!" Xiaodan urged as she Airbended herself onto Appa's saddle and grabbed the mystery man's hand, pulling him into the saddle as Katara and Sokka climbed in.

Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan watched from Appa's saddle high in the air as the guards raced back into the alley. Their eyes widened when the mystery man took another smoke grenade from his cloak and threw it into the enormous crate of fireworks, setting them off with a loud, colorful bang.

"Nice touch setting off the fireworks." Aang complimented the man as Appa sailed away from the village and the man removed the hood of his cloak.

"You really know your explosives…" Sokka commented in an impressed tone.

"I'm familiar." The man said and Xiaodan's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You're a Fire Nation soldier." She stated matter-of-factly, causing Sokka, Katara, and Aang's eyes widened in surprise and trepidation as they looked at the man cautiously.

"_Was_." The man corrected then looked away from the fireworks and towards the four teens, "My name's Chey."

Aang landed Appa in a small clearing in the forest a few miles from the Fire Nation town and quickly set up camp then once everything was set up, the five sat around the fire Xiaodan had started.

"I serve a man. More than a man really, he's myth, but he's real, a living legend," Chey rambled as he looked at the four teens, "Jeong Jeong the Deserter. He was a Fire Nation general, or wait, was he an admiral?"

"He was very highly ranked, we get." Sokka snapped, clearly not amused by the possibly unstable man.

"Yeah! Way up there!" Chey agreed, oblivious to Sokka's tone, "But he couldn't take the madness any more. He's the first person to ever leave the army—and live. I'm the second, but you don't get to be a legend for that. That's okay though. Jeong Jeong's a Firebending genius. Some say he's mad, but he's not! He's enlightened."

Xiaodan and Sokka shared a look and the white-haired girl twirled her finger around her temple. Sokka snickered quietly and shook his head in amusement. The two older teens turned their attention back to the conversation when Aang started speaking rather excitedly.

"You mean there's a Firebender out there who's not with the Fire Lord?" Aang asked and jumped to his feet excitedly, looking at Chey hopefully, "We've gotta go see him! He can train me!"

"We're _not _gonna go find some _crazy _Firebender!" Sokka snapped instantly and Chey got to his feet.

"He's _not _crazy!" He denied in annoyance then insisted, "He's a genius! And he's the perfect person to the train the Avatar! That's why I followed you into the festival."

Sokka stood as well and crossed his arms over his chest, "Look, thanks for the help, but we're leaving for the North Pole in the morning."

"Sokka, this could be my only chance to meet a Firebending master who would actually be willing to teach me!" Aang protested, looking at Sokka pleadingly.

Katara and Xiaodan watched from position still seated on the ground, their gazes flicking from one boy the next curiously, then Katara got to her feet.

"It can't hurt just to talk to him." Katara said reasonably.

"That's what you said about going to the festival!" Sokka retorted in annoyance, tossing his hands in the air, "Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me."

"We do listen, we just choose not to hear what you're saying." Xiaodan quipped in amusement as she reclined back on her hands.

Sokka pouted and turned around, only to almost impale himself on a spear that had appeared out of nowhere.

Xiaodan leapt to her feet and took a bending stance instantly as the five were surrounded by men in wearing straw hats, light armor made from straw and grass, wielding spears with tribal makeup. Aang turned and gasped quietly, shifting into his own stance when saw three of the men pointing their spears at him.

"Don't move!" The apparent leader order, his spear pointed at Sokka.

* * *

Xiaodan watched the men walking on either side of her, Aang, Katara, and Sokka warily as they lead the four teens towards their settlement. Chey was standing at the front of the line, taking with the leader of the tribal-like men.

"Jeong Jeong told you not to look for Avatar!" The leader snapped harshly as he scolded Chey fiercely.

"Hold on," Sokka said as he looked between Chey and the leader, "You know these guys?"

"Oh yeah!" Chey replied enthusiastically as he paused and looked back at the four young people, "Lin Yee's an old buddy! Right, Lin Yee?"

"Shut up!" Lin Yee barked in annoyance as he pushed Chey forward, "Keep moving."

The group followed Lin Yee and Chey down a hill where a small cottage covered in leaves and logs is at the bottom.

"Go on!" Lin Yee snapped at Chey, "He sees you only."

"Oh that's okay," Chey denied, sounding slightly nervous as he gestured with his hand, "We can chat later."

"Is that where Jeong Jeong is? I need to talk to him right away!" Aang said and tried to step forward but was stopped by a Lin Yee's spear.

Xiaodan made an annoyed noise in the back of her throat and stepped closer to Aang, eyeing the spear and its wielder warily.

"No! You wait there." Lin Yee barked then pushed Chey forward roughly, "Go now!"

"Don't worry! Everything'll be fine." Chey said as he looked back at the teens briefly then started towards the small cottage, "He's a great man, great man!"

Xiaodan, Aang, Sokka, and Katara watched the former Fire Nation explosives expert walk the rest of the way down the hill before being ushered into another small cottage on top of the hill by Lin Yee.

* * *

"So the Avatar was here and you let him slip away?"

The guard gulped quietly and looked at Admiral Zhao anxiously, "Yes, sir, but other than that the festival went off without a hitch!"

A couple large, burning planks of wood fell to the ground with a massive crash behind the guards and they all flinched slightly.

"No fights. Theft was way down." The guard captain reported weakly as he looked at the Admiral.

Zhao had to physically keep his eye from twitching, "I don't care about your local crime rates! Which way did they go?"

"They headed into the forest, up the river I suspect." The guard captain replied, pointing in the direction he believed the Avatar had gone in.

"Ready the river boats." Zhao ordered the soldiers behind him, 'We're going after the Avatar."

* * *

Xiaodan amused herself by creating small spheres of air and watching them dance around the tips of her fingers while Aang laid down on the ground next to her with Momo resting on his chest, Katara and Sokka resting on the other side of the fire in the middle of the small hut.

Xiaodan turned her head and Aang jerked into a sitting position, which sent Momo jumping into Xiaodan's lap, when Chey walked into the hut and sat down across from them, leaning against the wall.

"What happened?" Aang asked anticipatorily as he and Xiaodan looked at Chey curiously, "Can I see Jeong Jeong now?"

"He won't see you." Chey said sadly, his head bowed and his eyes clenched tightly, "He's very angry that I brought you here. He wants you to leave immediately."

"What?" Xiaodan questioned in shock, looking at Chey in confusion.

"Finally! Let's hit the road." Sokka said at the same time as he sat up slightly, then stretched out again.

"Why won't he see me?" Aang asked, ignoring Sokka as he looked at Chey.

"He says you're not ready." Chey replied, "Says you haven't mastered Waterbending and Earthbending yet."

Aang's eyes went wide and he looked at Chey in shock, "Wait, how does he know that?"

"He saw the way you walking into camp. He could tell."

Xiaodan tapped her chin thoughtfully, "So he's not going to teach Aang Firebending because he hasn't mastered Waterbending and Earthbending first?"

Chey nodded his head to the white-haired girl, "Yeah."

"That actually makes a little sense." Xiaodan commented then quickly began to explain when she saw the look on Aang's face, "I'm just saying it makes sense because Firebending is technically the spiritual opposite of Airbending. Besides, according to the legend, you're supposed to follow the cycle, aren't you?"

"I'm going in, anyway! Aang stated firmly then jumped to his feet and left the hut.

Xiaodan watched her brother leave then looked at Chey, who was staring at the flap covering the hut's entrance.

"Don't worry," She stated calmly, a serene smile on her tanned and tattooed face, "If he is meant to learn Firebending now, then he will learn."

"What if he isn't supposed to learn now?" Chey questioned in a low mutter, looking at the girl in slight dismay.

"Then he truly isn't read to learn." Xiaodan replied then laid down on the ground and Momo curled up on her stomach.

* * *

Aang stood outside the Jeong Jeong's hut and took a deep, calming breath then walked inside. He frowned slightly when he saw the white-haired man sitting cross-legged with his back to Aang amidst a semicircle of lit candles.

"Get out." Jeong Jeong commanded severely.

Aang made to step forward and paused. He took another deep breath then walked forward.

"Master, I need to learn Firebending." Aang stated calmly as he stopped just outside the semicircle of candles with his head bowed.

"Only a fool seeks his own destruction."

"I'm the Avatar," Aang tried again as he sat cross-legged on the ground, "It's my destiny to-"

"Destiny? What would a boy know of destiny? If a fish lives its whole life in this river, does he know the river's destiny?" Jeong Jeong demanded rhetorically without turning around, "No! Only that it runs on and on out of his control! He may follow where it flows, but he cannot see the end. He cannot imagine the ocean."

"Okay…" Aang said in wary confusion, "But it's the Avatar's duty to master all of the bending disciplines."

"To master the bending disciplines, you must first master discipline itself." Jeong Jeong retorted heatedly, "But you have no interest in this, so I have no interest in you! Now, get out!"

"Please, I have to learn." Aang pleaded, "This could be my only chance."

"Are you deaf? How can I teach you of you refuse to listen?" The master Firebender questioned harshly as he whirled around to face Aang, "Before learning Firebending you must learn water and earth. Water is cool and soothing, earth is steady and stable, but fire, fire is alive!"

Jeong Jeong moved his hand around one of the candle flames, causing it to grow and shrink, to dance and move, "It breathes, it grows, without the bender, a rock will not throw itself! But fire will spread and destroy everything in its path if one does not have the will to control it! That is destiny! You are not ready! You are too weak!"

_The candle flames shot up into the air and illuminated the whole hut before going completely dark in Jeong Jeong's eyes. A single candle suddenly sparked to life in front of Jeong Jeong, illuminating a completely different place than his hut. Jeong Jeong gasped quietly when Avatar Roku appeared in front of him, his hands folded in the sleeves of his robes._

"_You think I am weak?" Roku asked coolly, looking down at the Deserter._

"_Avatar Roku." Jeong Jeong murmured in awe then hurried to answer the previous Avatar's question, "No! No! I did not mean that."_

"_I have mastered the elements a thousand times in a thousand lifetimes." Avatar Roku stated sternly, "Now, I must do it once again. You will teach the Avatar Firebending."_

_As he spoke the last word, Avatar Roku lifted his hand and set the tree that was behind Jeong Jeong on fire. _

Jeong Jeong bowed his head in submission to the previous Avatar, "Yes, yes I will teach you…"

"Really?" Aang asked excitedly, completely unaware of the vision Jeong Jeong just had of his past life as he threw his arms in the air in excitement, "That's great!"

Jeong groaned in dismay and closed his eyes tiredly, already fearing how this was going to end.

* * *

"Widen your stance." Jeong Jeong commanded as he stood in front of Aang, who was standing on a flat stone in the river.

Aang shifted his feet farther apart, his elbows bent with his fists even with his hips.

"Wider! Bender your knees." Jeong Jeong barked and Aang shifted his feet further apart again and bent his knees, "Now, concentrate."

Aang's expression twisted into one of concentration and Jeong Jeong nodded in approval.

"Good, good." The master Firebender praised then began walking away.

"Wait!" Aang called out, his concentration failing as he stared at his teacher, "What do I do now?

"Silence!" Jeong Jeong snapped as he turned around to glare sternly at the young Avatar, "Talking is not concentrating! Look at your friends, are talking?"

Aang looked over to where Katara was practicing her Waterbending on the riverbank a few feet away while Xiaodan meditated a foot or so away from her.

"Even that oaf knows to concentrate on what he's doing!" Jeong Jeong stated harshly as he gestured to where Sokka was sitting on a rock a few feet from Katara and Xiaodan with a fishing pole in hand.

"_Hey_!" Sokka protested in indignant annoyance as he glowered at the former Fire Nation admiral.

Aang looked away from Sokka and back at Jeong Jeong in exasperated confusion.

"But What am I concentrating on?"

"Feel the heat of the sun." Jeong Jeong replied, gesturing with one hand towards the sun high in the sky and Aang turned to look at it over his shoulder while Jeong Jeong continued to talk, "It is the greatest source of fire. Yet, it in complete balance with nature!"

Aang looked at Jeong Jeong with an excited expression, "So when do I get to make some fire?"

"Concentrate!" Jeong snapped again then walked away.

Aang took a deep breath then blushed when he heard Katara and Sokka laughing at him. The young Airbender turned around to look at them but they stopped and gave him innocent looks. Aang scowled then smiled slightly when he caught Xiaodan giving him a reassuring and encouraging smile. Aang took another deep breath and closed his eyes, concentrating on the heat of the sun on his back.

* * *

"Are we coming up here so I don't burn anything with my fire blasts?" Aang asked eagerly as he followed Jeong Jeong up the sloping mountain path towards the top.

"No fire yet."

"What?"

"Power in Firebending comes from the breath." Jeong Jeong explained as stopped at the top of the small mountain and looked down at the valley below with Aang appearing at his side a moment later, "That is why you must master proper breath control."

"You brought me up here to breathe?" Aang asked in disbelief.

"Assume your stance." Jeong Jeong ordered and Aang assumed horse-stance from earlier.

"Wider." Jeong Jeong commanded, his back was to the young Airbender and his hands clasped behind his back.

"You're not even look-"

"_Wider_!" The older man barked and waited until he heard Aang's feet shift further apart, "Now, inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth…without talking."

Aang opened his mouth then closed again and began to breathe in through his nose and out his mouth.

"Good." Jeong Jeong praised and began walking back down the mountain, "Keep going."

* * *

Xiaodan stood on the riverbank outside Jeong Jeong's hut with her left foot tucked against her inner right thigh and her hands pressed together in front of her. Her eyes were closed and her breathing even as she meditated to the soothing sounds of the wind in the trees and the water flowing over the rocks in the river.

As she meditated, Xiaodan let her thoughts wander as they pleased, a smile forming on her lips as she thought about Iroh. Her smile disappeared quickly when her thoughts wandered away from Iroh's wellbeing towards that of a certain grumpy, banished prince. Orange eyes snapped open and Xiaodan dropped her left foot back to the ground as her hands fell back to her sides, a frown forming on her tanned and tattooed face.

"Why in the Spirits' name am I thinking about Prince Firebug?" She muttered to herself then shook her head, "I should find some shade, clearly I've been out in the sun to long."

Xiaodan shook her head again and head back to the hut she and her friends had stayed the previous night in.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Jeong Jeong demanded when he saw Aang enter his hut, "I did not tell you to stop!"

"I've been breathing for hours!" Aang protested as he stopped in front of the semicircle of candles.

"You want to stop breathing?" Jeong Jeong questioned sarcastically as he picked up his teacup.

"I want you to stop wasting my time!" Aang exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation, "I already know who to squat and breathe and feel the sun! I wanna know how to shoot fire out of my fingertips!"

Jeong Jeong sighed gruffly and put his teacup down as he closed his eyes, "I had a pupil conce who had no interest in learning discipline. He was only concerned with the power of fire; how he could use it to destroy his opponents and wipe out the obstacles in his path…But fire is a horrible burden to bear. Its nature is to consume and without control it destroys everything around it."

"Learn restraint, or risk destroying yourself and everything you love." Jeong Jeong stated as he poured more tea into his cup.

Aang stared at the former Fire Nation admiral for a moment then quietly left the hut. Jeong Jeong sighed quietly and took a sip of his tea.

* * *

Jeong Jeong exited his hut a few hours later, pausing just outside when he saw the young Avatar sitting cross-legged on the rock in the river a foot or so away from the bank he was standing on. Aang's head was bowed and his eyes were closed, his hands loosely clasped in his lap.

"I thought about what you said," Aang stated without looking up, his voice calm and sincere, "I promise I'll be more patient."

Jeong Jeong looked at the bald boy for a moment, "We're going to work with fire now."

"Oh yeah!" Aang cheered and Airbending himself in the air in excitement before realizing what he did and becoming serious again, "I mean, let us begin."

Jeong Jeong snatched a leaf as it fell through the air, pressing his thumb and forefinger to the center which rapidly began to smolder as he walked to the edge of the riverbank.

"Concentrate on the fire." The Firebending master instructed as he handed Aang the leave with the smoldering center, "I want you to keep the flame from reaching the edges of the leaf for as long as you can."

Aang groaned quietly and shifted into his stance when one of the tribal men suddenly rushed out of the trees towards Jeong Jeong and Aang.

"Master!" The man exclaimed, slightly out of breath, "There is trouble!"

"What's going on?" Aang asked, instantly worried as he straightened slightly.

"Concentrate on your leaf!" Jeong Jeong barked as he and the tribal man hurried back into the forest.

Aang scowled at Jeong Jeong's back, "This is the _worst _Firebending instruction ever! All he does is leave me for hours to concentrate or breathe!"

"I'm sure there's a good reason." Katara said reassuring from the riverbank where she had continued to practice Waterbending and Aang pouted at her.

"How can this be the worst Firebending instruction ever?" Xiaodan quipped in amusement as she lounged near Katara with her bare feet in the water, "This is the first time you've been instructed in Firebending in this lifetime."

Aang stuck his tongue out her childishly and Xiaodan returned the gestured, her orange eyes glittering with mischief.

"But I'm ready to do so much more." Aang stated matter-of-factly, then his eyes widened as an idea came to him.

He looked down at his feet for a moment then shifted into his horse-stance and began breathing though his nose and out his mouth as he concentrated on the leaf. Xiaodan sat up on her elbows and watched him along with Katara, both of their eyes widening when the leaf burned up completely and became a small flame.

"I did it!" Aang exclaimed excitedly as he looked at the tiny flame in his hand, "I made fire!"

"Aang, that's great, but you should take it slow." Katara suggested as she walked further along the bank until she was directly across from the rock Aang was standing on.

Aang took a deep breath and made a slamming motion with his fist, causing the fire to shoot up into the air slightly.

"Careful!" Katara gasped, cringing backwards as Aang wobbled on the rock and almost fell into the river before regaining his balance.

"Now _that's _Firebending." Aang said excitedly as he looked over at the two girls with a grin, the fireball still in his hand.

"Aang, Katara's right about taking it slow." Xiaodan stated as she got to her feet, her expression apprehensive, "There was a reason Jeong Jeong wanted you to keep the leaf from burning."

"It'll be fine, Xia. Don't worry so much." Aang replied dismissively then he launched a stream of fire in the opposite direction.

"Be careful!" Xiaodan snapped as she moved closer to Katara, feeling more apprehensive the long Aang continued to play with the fire.

"Aang, you'll hurt yourself." Katara warned, her voice just as worried and apprehensive as Xiaodan's.

Aang ignored them both and began tossing the fireball from hand-to-hand, bending and moving around as he did it.

"I wonder how that juggler did it." He mused to himself as he paused and looked at the fireball for a moment.

The girls watched as he closed his eyes and twisted into a crouch then stood up rapidly, spreading his arms out wide as he stood. A wide, delighted smile appeared on his face as the fire shout of surprise and fear along with Katara's cry of pain. Aang's eyes widened when he looked over at the two girls and saw Xiaodan had fallen onto her backside, her orange eyes wide with fright while Katara was crouched on the ground with her hands clutched to her chest.

"Katara! Xia!" Aang shouted as the fire dispersed and he jumped over to stand beside the crying Waterbender, "I'm so sorry!"

"Katara! What's wrong?" Sokka asked in concern as he rushed forward then glared up at Aang, "What did you do?!"

"I'm sorry!" Aang apologized desperately, his expression pained as he looked from the sobbing Katara to Xiaodan's frightened and shaken face and finally resting on Sokka's angry expression, "It was an accident!"

Sokka growled and lunged at the younger boy, tackling him to the ground.

"I told you we shouldn't mess around with this!" Sokka shouted as he glared down accusingly at Aang, "Look what you did! _You burned my sister_"

Katara, still sobbing lurched to her feet and ran away from them. Sokka was suddenly thrown off of Aang by a gust of air and he rolled to his feet glaring at Xiaodan who was now standing protectively in front of Aang as he shifted onto his backside, his hands propping him up as he looked around Xiaodan's body to look up at Sokka guiltily.

"He burned my sister!" Sokka shouted then pointed accusing at Jeong Jeong as the older man walked towards them, "This is all your fault!"

"I know." Jeong Jeong replied, looking away remorsefully for a moment then looking back at them sternly, "Now pack your thinks. You must leave immediately."

Aang looked up at Sokka from around Xiaodan, his eyes sorrowful and full of guilt.

"I'm sorry, I didn't…" Aang started to apologize but Sokka scowled at him and ran off, "I'm sorry!"

Jeong Jeong stopped beside Aang, looking down at him with a displeased and disappointed expression. Aang looked up at him pleadingly but the older man merely shook his head and turned his back on him, walking away.

Aang watched Jeong Jeong leave with tears gathering in his eyes and when Xiaodan wrapped her arms around him tightly, Aang hid his face against her neck as he sobbed quietly. Xiaodan cooed gentle words of comfort and rubbed his back, her chin resting on the top of her head as she looked out at the forest warily.

* * *

Katara panted and whimpered quietly as she clutched her hands to her chest, crouching by a small creek that branched out from the river. She whined quietly and pulled her hands away from her chest, looking at the angry red burns that marred her palms and fingers. Carefully, Katara lowered her hands into the creek, shuddering and clenching her teeth at the brief stinging pain before sighing as the water soothed the burns.

Katara opened her eyes and stared at her hands, her eyes widening and a soft gasp of surprise leaving her lips as her hands began to glow bluish-white under the water. She pulled her glowing hands out of the water and them up so she could stare at her palms in awe as the glow faded, leaving behind perfectly healed, unburned skin behind.

"You have healing abilities."

Katara lowered her hands and looked over her shoulder as Jeong Jeong walked towards her.

"The great benders of the Water Tribe sometimes have this ability." Jeong Jeong said as he crouched down next to the dark-haired girl, "I've always wished I were blessed like you, free from this burning curse."

"But you're a great master." Katara replied, looking at Jeong Jeong in confusion, "You have powers that I will never know."

"Water brings healing and life. But fire brings only destruction and pain." Jeong Jeong stated as he looked at his reflection in the water, "It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery. Eventually, we are torn apart."

Katara glanced over at Jeong Jeong and opened her mouth to say something but the water in fronted of them was suddenly blasted with fire. Jeong Jeong leapt to his feet and took a defensive stance, dispersing the flames that washed over him and Katara. The master Firebender's eyes narrowed when he saw the Fire Nation river boats sailing towards them.

"Get to your friends and flee!" Jeong Jeong orders Katara and the girl stumbled backwards before turning to run, "Do not come back here or you will be destroyed! Hurry!"

The former Fire Nation admiral waited until the girl was out of sight then turned to face the river boats as they continued to launch fireballs at him. Jeong Jeong shifted into a wide horse-stance and began motions with his arms, Firebending a massive wall of fire in front of three river boats to keep them from continuing down the river.

The boats turned and docked on the riverbank, harmlessly surrounding Jeong Jeong.

"Don't worry, men." Zhao stated confidently as he jumped from one of the boats and walked onto the bank, "My old teacher gave up fighting a long time ago."

Jeong Jeong's eyes narrowed as he watched his former student part through the wall of fire in front of him, a smirk on his face.

"Haven't you, Master Jeong Jeong?"

Jeong Jeong stared at Zhao coldly then let the massive wall of fire fall away easily.

* * *

"Katara!" Sokka shouted when he saw his sister running towards him as he prepared Appa for their departure, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, we've got to get out of here." Katara replied urgently then looked around, "Where's Aang and Xia?"

Sokka gestured to Jeong Jeong's cottage and Katara hurried into the small hut, pausing when she saw Xiaodan leaning against the wall by the door before her blue eyes found Aang sitting cross-legged amidst a semicircle of lit candles with his back to her.

"Jeong Jeong tried to tell me I wasn't ready. I wouldn't listen." Aang said quietly without looking at the dark-haired girl, "I'm never going to Firebend again."

"You'll have to eventually." Katara reasoned as she walked closer, stopping just outside the semicircle of candles.

"No," Aang denied firmly, his tone nonnegotiable as he glared down at his hands folded in his lap, "Never again."

"It's okay, Aang. I'm healed."

"What? How?" Aang demanded in surprise as he looked over his shoulder and Xiaodan straightened to look at the Waterbender's back curiously.

"I'll explain later. But right now, we have to get out of here." Katara replied, her tone urgent, "Zhao and his soldiers are attacking."

Aang jumped to his feet and spun around to face Katara, "Where?"

"By the river." Katara responded as she pointed in the direction of the river, "They've captured Jeong Jeong."

"I have to help him!" Aang exclaimed and made to rush out of the hut but Xiaodan stopped him by grabbing his upper arm.

Aang turned to look at her with a determined and stubborn expression on his face, "I _have _to help him, Xia."

"I know." Xiaodan stated calmly, "I just wanted to tell that Zhao is cunning and cruel, but also prideful and arrogant."

Aang nodded and moved to leave again but Xiaodan tightened her grip briefly and Aang turned to look at her with exasperation.

"Be careful, little brother." She said firmly as she let his arm go, "I'll help Katara and Sokka finish getting Appa ready, so try to stay alive and out of Zhao's hands until we get there."

Aang grinned slightly and nodded in confirmation then rushed out of the hut in the direction Katara had pointed. Xiaodan waited a moment after Aang had left then grabbed Katara's arm.

"Come on," The white-haired girl said brusquely as they both hurried from the small cottage and towards Sokka and Appa, "Let's hurry up so we can leave as quickly as possible."

Katara nodded and the two girls began helping Sokka pack up their things as fast as they could, both of them hoping and praying that Aang would be okay.

* * *

"Look at you. You were once so great." Zhao sneered as he looked his former teacher up and down with his men standing behind him, "I can't believe my former master has become nothing more than a simple savage."

"It is you who have embraced savagery, Zhao." Jeong Jeong replied stoically.

"It's Admiral Zhao, now." Zhao corrected with a haughty smirk.

"That title will not help you against the Avatar." Jeong Jeong retorted heatedly, "Do not try to fight him! You are no match!"

Zhao looked at his former master in amusement, "I think I can handle a child."

"I have never seen such raw power…" Jeong Jeong replied, looking away from Zhao.

Zhao growled angrily, his lips curled into a snarl as he glared at his former teacher before his attention was grabbed by the Avatar running towards them, shouting his former master's name.

"We'll see." Zhao said with a smirk then waved his men forward as Jeong Jeong backed away, "Men! Take the deserter!"

Aang stopped short in horror as he watched the five Firebenders surrounding Jeong Jeong close in on him. Jeong Jeong smirked at the Fire Nation soldiers then spun around, wrapping himself in a ball of flames that sent the soldiers reeling backwards. The flames cleared a moment later and the soldiers surged forward only to pause when they saw the deserter had disappeared.

"It's a trick!" Zhao shouted as he pointed to the woods behind his soldiers, "He's run off into the woods. Find him!"

The soldiers disappeared into the trees and Zhao turned to face the young Avatar.

"Let's find out what my old master has taught you." Zhao sneered as he walked towards Aang who was running to meet him.

"_You_ were Jeong Jeong's student?" Aang asked, pausing mid-step and recoiling from Zhao in surprise.

"Until I got bored." Zhao replied flippantly then launched a fireball at Aang, who leapt easily to the side.

Zhao threw another fireball and Aang ducked to avoid it. The two began circling warily, as the trees behind Aang caught on fire.

"I see he taught you how to duck and run like a coward." Zhao taunted with a scornful look, "But I doubt he showed you what a Firebender is truly capable of!"

Zhao twisted around and thrusted both of his fists forward, sending an large fire blast at Aang. The young Airbender kicked his feet in the air and balanced on the tip of his finger, using Airbending to keep himself up as the blast past harmless over him.

"Whoa!" Aang said as he flipped right-side up and looked over his shoulder, "Wild shot!"

"I'll show you _wild_!" Zhao roared with rage and launched another fire blast.

Aang smirked and twisted around, pushing himself into the air as he used Airbending to send the fire to either side of him. More fire blasts we launched at him and Aang rolled, ducked, and spun away to avoid them. Aang glanced at the fire burning the trees behind him then looked back at Zhao, understanding beginning to dawn on him.

"No self-control…" He muttered then he smirked as an idea came to him and he looked at the three river boats docked on the bank behind Zhao.

"Stand and fight Avatar!" Zhao barked angrily, pulling Aang's attention from the boats and back to him.

"Oh, were we fighting?" Aang asked mockingly as he smirked, "I thought you were just getting warmed up."

"I was!" Zhao growled in anger and launched another fireball, which Aang dodged easily.

Aang ran towards the boats, dodging the blasts Zhao sent at him then he paused and leapt into the air when the Admiral sent a crescent of fire at him.

"Is that all you got? Man, they'll make anyone an admiral these days!" Aang taunted and leapt to the side to dodge another fireball, then he ran towards the first boat and jumped onto the roof of the cabin.

"Ahoy!" Aang shouted as he faced Zhao then turned around and shook his butt at him, "I'm Admiral Zhao!"

Zhao roared in anger and Aang leapt of the cabin roof just as Zhao jumped onto the front of the boat and sent a blast of fire at him. Aang grinned as he landed on the back of the first boat then he jumped to the second one, the impish grin on his face widened when he turned to look at a furious Zhao again.

"I don't know why," Aang said as he walked along the rail of the second river boat then turned to face Zhao with a disappointed look on his face, "But I thought you'd be better than Zuko."

The young Airbender's eyes went wide and he flattened himself onto the deck just fast enough to avoid the wave of fire Zhao sent at him. Aang got back to his feet and looked over his shoulder at Zhao with a taunting expression on his face.

"Sloppy. Very sloppy." He ridiculed as he ran across the second boat then back-flipped onto the back of the last river boat, dodging into the cabin area just in time to avoid being burnt to a crisp by another fire blast.

Aang jumped through the window of the cabin area and landed on the other side of the deck, running towards the front as Zhao continued launching fireballs at him recklessly. Aang jumped onto a small raised platform in front of the cabin and pressed his back against the cabin, looking around the side to see where Zhao was. He was about to jump of the boat when the admiral suddenly leapt down in front of him from the top of the cabin, his fist pointed at Aang's face.

"Nowhere to run now, you little smart mouth!" Zhao snarled as Aang moved into a defensive stance.

Zhao sent a powerful fire blast at Aang, but the bald boy leapt into the air and flipped over Zhao with the help of some Airbending.

"You've lost this battle." Aang stated confidently as he landed lightly behind fuming admiral with his arms crossed smugly over his chest.

Aang leapt into the air again when Zhao spun around and kicked a blast of fire at him. The young Avatar landed gently on the stern of the river boat and clasped his hands behind his back as he looked at the seething man in front of him.

"Are you crazy?" Zhao demanded angrily as he glowered at Aang, "You haven't thrown a single blow!"

"_No_, but _you _have." Aang agreed then gestured towards the three burning riverboats.

Zhao looked around and his mouth dropped as he watched his river boats burn and begin to sink into the river.

"Jeong Jeong said you had no restraint." Aang stated with a _tsk_ then he dove into the water, swimming a few feet away from the burning boats and spat out some water as he resurfaced, a grin on his face as cupped his hand around his mouth, "Have a nice walk home!"

"Aang, come on! Let's go!"

Aang turned to look at the opposite bank where Appa was waiting with Katara and Sokka in the saddle and Xiaodan on the bison's head, the reins in her hands. Aang ran out of the water quickly and jumped onto Appa's head beside Xiaodan, who flicked the reins. Appa grumbled lowly as he took off into the air and started flying away.

"Wait!" Aang said suddenly looking at the other three worriedly, "Where's Jeong Jeong?"

"He disappeared." Sokka replied as the foursome looked down at the now abandoned huts, "They all did."

* * *

Chey walked down the stone path that lead into the village and looked around in confusion.

"Hey, where did everybody go?" He asked then his expression soured, "Very funny guys."

* * *

Xiaodan looked her brother over and her eyes widened when she got sight of the red burn on his arm.

"You're burned!" the white-haired girl gasped, picking his arm up gently to inspect it worriedly.

"Let me help with that." Katara said with a smile as she bended some water from her canteen, coating her entire hand.

The other three watched as the dark-haired girl laid her water-covered hand over the burn mark then took a deep breath through her nose then exhaled out her mouth. She held her hand on the burn for a moment then pulled away. The water covered Aang's arm for a second before falling away, leaving his arm completely healed.

"Wow, that's good water." Aang joked lightly and Xiaodan snickered quietly then looked at Katara in amazement.

"That's amazing, Katara." The white-haired girl praised the younger girl, a sincere smile on her tanned and tattooed face.

"When did you learn that?" Sokka asked curiously as he looked at his sister.

Katara smiled and shrugged slightly, "I guess I always knew."

"Oh… Well then tanks for all the first aid over the years." Sokka grumbled sarcastically as he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, "Like when I fell into the greaseberry bramble. Or that time I had two fishhooks in my thumb!"

Xiaodan leaned back slightly when the young warrior thrusted his thumb in front of for emphasis and Aang quirked a brow in surprise.

"Two?" He questioned in shock and Katara giggled quietly.

"He tried to get the first fishhook out with another fishhook." The dark-haired explained in amusement, causing Xiaodan and Aang to chuckle.

"Oh, and the time that ming-snake bit me!" Sokka continued to rant sarcastically, "Thanks for healing that up! That was great, really helpful."

Xiaodan, Aang, and Katara shared exasperatedly amused looked as Sokka continued to rant. It was gonna be a long journey.

* * *

Zuko examined the lightweight staff in his hands through narrowed eyes, taking in the dark, flexible but firm wood. His sharp eyes could just barely make out the near seamlessly lines of the thin wood shafts that made up the four wings of the glider. The banished prince lightly trailed his fingers along the shafts that rested flush against the base of the staff, though he knew from a previous attempt that he would not be able to open the wings of the glider unless he could somehow mimic Airbending.

"Prince Zuko?"

Zuko glance at his uncle standing in the cabin's doorway then turned back to the glider the Avatar's sister had crafted while she had been a prisoner on his ship. The glider she had completed just before her escape.

Iroh watched his nephew stare at the glider for a moment before speaking again, "Would you like to join me for some tea, Prince Zuko?"

For a moment, the scarred teen didn't respond. Then he leaned the glider against the wall of the cabin and turned towards his uncle.

"Yes, Uncle."

Iroh smiled and lead the way to his own cabin where he had already heated up some tea. Zuko followed after him, hesitating a moment in the doorway of Xiaodan's former cabin to glance back at the finished glider then leaving the room and shutting the door behind him as he followed his uncle down the metal hall.

* * *

**Author's Note: Yay! Chapter 17 is done! Not as long as I expected it to be but I think that's because there aren't any original parts that feature Zuko and Xia in them, though I did add that little non-cannon bit at the end on whim. I hope Zuko and Iroh weren't OOC in that teeny-tiny part. I also hope no one else was OOC either but if they are I apologize in advance. Let's see… oh right, next chapter will take place during Season 1 Episode 17: The Northern Air Temple which will be posted on Thursday, so stay tuned for that because there's possibly gonna be some emotional drama! **

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are awesome and I lurves youse!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Break This Spell666: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I haven't actually decided when Zuko and Xia will be reunited, though I know it'll either be at the end of The Siege of the North Pole Part Two or in the middle of The Chase. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Dream lighting: **Thanks! I hope you like this chapter!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Awesome, I hope you like this chapter too!

**Angel2u: **Awesome-sauce! I hope you liked this chapter too!

**LadyAmazon: **Oh my God my sister and I laughed so hard when we read your review, then we laughed even hard when we went back and reread the chapter and realized how hilariously kinky Zuko tying Xiaodan up was, so thanks for that, totally made our day. I hope you like this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Awesome, I'm glad you liked the last chapter, it was actually a lot of fun to write. Eh, I was actually I was thinking of officially introducing Xia's duel-bending in The Crossroads of Destiny, since I think it would take a severe emotional breakdown for her Firebending to come out and what's a perfect way to cause a passive Airbender that also happens to be an extremely protective older sister like Xia to have a severe break down? Watching her little brother get hit with lightning by a sadistic, psychopathic Fire Nation princess, of course. I'm not sure if that's too cliché, but I think if I do it right, that chapter will be awesome. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**88dragon06: **Awesome, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! It was really fun to write, especially the parts with Zuko, Xia, Iroh, and June, those were really funny. Haha, oh my God, I totally didn't mean to write that, originally it was going to be 'his prisoner' but then I erased that and went with 'the white-haired girl' I guess I didn't erase the 'his' part of the sentence. Buuuuut, I don't think I'll change it, especially if it causes fangirl moments. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: **Haha, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Zuko and Xia will be officially reunited at some point but until then, they'll probably just sporadically see each other whenever he's trying to capture Aang. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!


	18. Chapter 18: The Northern Air Temple

**AN: Chapter 18 takes place during Season 1 Episode 17: The Northern Air Temple. This is gonna be a pretty fun chapter, I think. Various POVs as usually, so enjoyed my lovelies!**

* * *

"So, travelers. The next time you think you hear a strange, large bird talking, take a closer look." The storyteller stated as looked around at his listeners with slight smile on his face, "It might not be a giant parrot but a talking man. A member of a secret group of air walkers, who laugh at gravity, and laugh at those bound to earth by it!"

Xiaodan smiled happily as the storyteller finished his tale and she turned to look at Aang with a delighted expression on her face while the storyteller held his hat out to the other listeners.

"Aren't Airbender stories the greatest?" Aang asked, looking at the two Water Tribe siblings with a smile on his face.

"Was it realistic?" Katara questioned eagerly, looking at Xiaodan and Aang interestedly, "Is that how was it was back then?"

"I laugh at gravity all the time." Aang replied then chuckled and shook his head, "Gravity."

Xiaodan giggled in amusement and bobbed her head slightly as she also replied to Katara's question, "And I laugh at everyone bound to earth by it!"

The storyteller stopped in front of Sokka and shook his coin-filled hat at him, "Jingle, jingle!"

Sokka searched inside his heavy parka but only managed to pull out a bug, a worm, and a few crumbs.

"Sorry…" The young warrior apologized weakly and the storyteller groaned in annoyance.

"Cheapskates!" the man mumbled as he walked away.

Aang stood and ran after the storyteller, Xiaodan only a few steps behind him with a delighted expression on her tanned face.

"Hey!" Aang said as he stopped behind the storyteller who was kneeling in front of the old man, "Thanks for the story."

"Tell it to the cap, _boy_." The man replied, shaking his hat behind him as he continued to face the old man.

Xiaodan and Aang both began searching their clothes for some money when Momo leapt from Aang's shoulder and picked up a coin that had fallen out of the cap. The flying lemur put the coin back in the hat as the storyteller turned around.

"Aww, much obliged little bat-thing." The storyteller said with a smile as he petted Momo's head.

"It means a lot to hear Airbender stories." Xiaodan said gratefully as she stopped searching her closes and clasped her hands behind her back, rocking back on her heels.

"Yeah, it must have been a hundred years ago your great grandpa met them." Aang added in a slightly yearning tone as he gestured slightly with one arm which Momo used to climb back up to his shoulder.

"What are you prattling about, child?" The man demanded then gestured to the old man sitting behind him, "Great Grandpappy saw the air walkers last week."

The old man made a noise and grinned, waving his hand at Xiaodan and Aang in greeting. The two Airbenders look at the storyteller in disbelief before sharing an excited look and hurrying back over to where Sokka and Katara were waiting.

* * *

"Hey, we're almost to the Northern Air Temple." Aang said excitedly as he steered Appa through the clouds towards the temple.

"This is where they had the championships for Sky Bison polo." Xiaodan commented as she hung over the front edge of the saddle upside down, her white-hair mingling with Appa's neck hair.

Katara smiled at the two Airbenders then moved back to sit beside her brother at the back of the saddle.

"Do you think we'll really find Airbenders?" She asked her brother wistfully as he whittled a piece of wood.

"You want me to be like you, or totally honest?"

"Are you saying I'm a liar?" Katara demanded angrily as she crossed her arms and leaned slightly away from her brother with a small scowl on her face.

"I'm saying you're an optimist." Sokka clarified then shrugged indifferently, "Same thing, basically."

"Hey, guys look at this!" Aang called out excitedly, cutting whatever retort Katara had off as the Water Tribe siblings hurried to the front of the saddle.

Xiaodan flipped herself right side up and turned around so she was leaning against the saddle's rim, her molten orange eyes staring at where several dark specks were flying around the Northern Air Temples.

"They really are Airbenders!" Katara stated in amazement as she looked at the people flying around the temple on glider-like contraptions.

Aang and Xiaodan looked at the figures flying around the temple then their expressions fell. Aang scowled and leaned back, his arms crossed over his chest.

"No, they're not." Aang stated firmly as Xiaodan sighed softly and rested her chin on her folded arms with a despondent expression on her face.

"What do you mean 'they're not?'" Sokka demanded in confusion as he waved his hands at the flying people, "They're _flying_."

Xiaodan shook her head, "They're gliding for sure, but they are _definitely _not flying. They're not Airbending."

"You can tell by the way they move." Aang explained, still scowling at the scene as Appa flew closer, "Those people have no spirit."

Suddenly a boy in an oddly shaped chair with glider-like wings attached to it flew right above them, causing Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan to yelp and duck their heads. The boy's laughter reached the foursome as they watched him fly through the clouds.

"I don't know, you two." Katara quipped as she gestured toward the laughing boy who was flying almost dangerously close to them, "That kid seems pretty spirited."

The boy began flying away, shooting a look over his shoulder as he did so with an impish grin on his face. Aang frowned for a moment then grinned devilishly, causing Xiaodan to grin widely. The white-haired girl grabbed Aang's staff from the back of Appa's saddle and handed it to her brother as he got to his feet. Aang grinned at her then snapped his glider open and jumped from Appa's head, flying after the boy.

Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka watched Aang chase after the other boy before their attention was pulled to a couple other kids on gliders surrounding them as Appa flew closer to the temple. Appa gave an agitated roar when one of the gliders nearly hit him the face and tossed his head back, knocking both Katara and Xiaodan into Sokka.

"Ow!" Katara gasped as she moved off her brother and rubbed her backside.

"We better find some solid ground, before it finds us." Sokka stated as Xiaodan jumped to her and rushed towards the front of Appa's saddle.

"Whoo!" Xiaodan whooped as she flipped herself onto Appa's head and picked up the reins, laughter spilling from her mouth as she directed the flying bison closer to the temple then landed him safely on the temple grounds. Moments later, the kids that had been gliding in the air landed near them, cheering as they watched the Aang and the boy.

The white-haired girl jumped from Appa's head and looked up at the sky, watching Aang and the boy fly around each other with a grin on her face while the two Water Tribe siblings climbed out of Appa's saddle.

"Go Teo!" the children cheered, "Show that bald kid how it's done!"

Xiaodan laughed and cheered along with the other kids as the boy and Aang began doing loop-de-loops as they flew around the temple then began a downward spiral around each other.

"Hey there," The boy shouted to Aang as they continued flying downwards, "You're pretty good."

"Yeah, I know." Aang replied flippantly as he glanced off to the side, "But I can do more than fancy gliding."

The boy watched as Aang flew closer to the temple and under a bridge, letting go of his glider when he reached one of the flat towers that made up the Northern Air Temple and began running along the wall easily. Aang created an air scooter halfway around the wall then jumped away from the wall and back onto his glider, flying upward so he was gliding alongside the boy.

"Wow, I don't think I can do that." The boy said in an impressed tone before smirking at Aang mischievously, "But here's a good one."

The boy flew a little faster and flicked a switch, causing smoke to come out of a small container underneath his flying chair. The boy flew through the sky with the smoke trailing behind him for a few minutes then he veered off to the side as the container no longer produced smoke, revealing that he had drawn picture of Aang's frowning face. Xiaodan laughed loudly as she clutched her stomach while the kids around her cheered and laughed happily.

Teo grinned at Aang, "What do you think?"

"It's great." Aang muttered in annoyance then glided down to where Xiaodan, Sokka, and Katara were standing with Appa.

The boy landed a moment later and jerked on his chair's brakes, skidding a few feet before coming to a complete stop. The foursome watched as some of the children lift the glider off the top of the boy's chair.

The boy looked at Aang for a moment then his eyes widened and he grinned broadly, "Hey, you're a real Airbender!"

"You must be the Avatar!" Teo continued in excitement, putting his hand to his head in disbelief and amazement as he looked at Aang, "That's amazing! I-I've heard stories about you!"

Aang rubbed the back of his head bashfully, "Thanks."

"Wow! This glider chair is incredible!" Sokka complimented as he looked at the chair's glider wings that two kids were holding.

"You think this is good, wait until you see the other stuff my dad designed." Teo said as he began wheeling himself into the temple with the four friends following after him.

"Woah…" Xiaodan muttered in shocked dismay as she looked around spacious room that was filled with metal pipes and machinery.

Aang looked around the room beside his sister, his expression just as worried and dismayed as he took in the pipes and machines spewing smoke and steam.

"Wow!" Sokka squealed excitedly as he ran up to one of the machines.

"Yeah, my dad is the mastermind behind this whole place. Everything's powered by hot air." Teo explained and gestured towards a woman as she used an elevator like contraption, "It even pumps hot air currents outside to give us a lift while we're gliding."

"This place is unbelievable." Xiaodan muttered as she turned a full circle with her head tilted back to see the full extent of the changes made to the temple.

"Yeah, it's great, isn't it?" Teo replied with a delighted grin.

"No." Aang stated as he walked away from Teo and Katara, "Just unbelievable."

Xiaodan trailed after the younger Airbender, her head still tilted back slightly as she crossed her arms firmly over her chest.

"Aang and Xia used to come here a long time ago." Katara explained quietly when she saw Teo's surprised and slightly hurt expression, "I think they're a little shock it's so…different."

"So better!" Sokka quipped happily as she looked at another machine.

Xiaodan and Aang stared up at a mural of the Air Nomads history that had pipes going through it, destroying the once beautiful painting.

"This is supposed to be the history of our people." Aang said sadly as Katara walked up the two Airbenders.

"Now look at it…" Xiaodan added quietly, her tone dismayed as she stared at a pipe that was going through the painting of a monk's head.

Katara gave the two Airbenders a sad look and reached out to put her hand on their shoulders but the Xiaodan and Aang moved away, walking over to the fountain with a sky bison statue on it that was in the middle of the room. Xiaodan cringed backwards when she looked into the fountain and saw the filthy green water. Aang gave his reflection in the dirty green water a squeamish look before recoiling violently when statue suddenly spat black smoke from its mouth.

"Ugh!" Aang and Xiaodan gasped in disgust, taking a step away from the statue.

"This is so wrong." Xiaodan grumbled, crossing her arms tightly over her chest again as Katara walked up behind her and Aang again.

"I'm sure some parts of the temple are still the same." The dark-haired girl stated as she put a reassuring hand on Aang's shoulder.

* * *

"It's nice to see that at least one part of the temple isn't ruined." Aang commented as he looked around large room that almost exactly like it had a hundred years ago.

"Thank the Spirits for that." Xiaodan quipped, her tense posture relaxing as she looked around the large room before walking over to where her brother and Katara were standing in front of a statue of a long-bearded Airbending master in meditation.

"Look out!" Someone shouted suddenly and a moment later the statue Aang, Katara, and Xiaodan were standing in front of was destroyed by a wrecking ball, throwing up a cloud of dirt and dust.

"What the doodle?" A man with crazy hair, half grown eyebrows, and wearing an apron questioned in confusion as he looked at the five teens, "Don't you know enough to stay away from construction sites? We have to make room for the bathhouse!"

"Do you know what you just did?!" Xiaodan screamed angrily at the man with a furious expression on her face.

"You just destroyed something sacred!" Aang shouted just as angrily, his knuckles turning white as his grip on his glider tightened, "For a stupid bathhouse!"

"Well, people around her are starting to stink." The mechanist said obliviously as he waved a hand in front of his face.

"This whole place stinks!" Aang yelled as he pointed at the mechanist then turned to look at the crane contraption just outside the broken wall.

The young Avatar growled angrily as he slammed his staff lengthwise against the ground, sending a powerful blast of air at the crane and knocking it clear off the mountain the temple was on.

"This is a sacred temple! You can't treat it this way!" Aang continued to shout as he walked closer to the mechanist and pointed at him aggressively, "I've seen it when the monks were here! I know what it's supposed to be like!"

"The monks? But," The man paused and scratched his beard in thought, "You're twelve."

"More like a hundred and twelve." Xiaodan muttered drily, her arms crossed over her chest again and her tensed tightly in aggravation

"Dad, he's the Avatar." Teo said to the man as he rolled up beside him, "He and the girl over there used to come here a hundred years ago."

Aang took a step closer to the mechanist, with Xiaodan right behind him as they glowered at the man as he took a step away from the two furious Airbenders.

"What are you doing here?" Xiaodan demanded then gestured with one hand, "Who said you could be here?"

"Hmm… Doing here…" The mechanist muttered to himself as he turned away from Aang and Xiaodan.

"A long time ago," He said, glancing at the two Airbenders and pointing his finger in the air for a moment then he walked over to Teo and stood behind his chair, "But not a hundred years, my people became refugees after a terrible flood. My infant son, Teo, was badly hurt and lost his mother."

Xiaodan's angry expression softened slightly and she let her arms fall loosely to her sides as the mechanist continued to talk.

"I need somewhere to rebuild and I stumbled across this place. Couldn't believe it! Everywhere! Pictures of flying people! But empty, nobody home. Then," The mechanist spread his arms out and began walking quickly towards Aang and Xiaodan, like he was flying, "I came across these fan-like contraptions."

"Our gliders." Aang and Xiaodan stated at the same time and the mechanist nodded his head excitedly.

"Yes! Little, light flying machines!" The mechanist said as he began waving his hands up and down then walked back towards the giant hole, "They gave me an idea. Build a new life for my son, in the air! Then everyone will be on equal ground! So to speak… We're just in the process of improving upon what's already here."

Katara sniffled and used Aang's orange shawl to wipe her tears away while Sokka rubbed at his eyes in attempt to keep his own tears at bay. Xiaodan merely pursed her lips and looked at the man's back with Aang, who had his arms folded across his chest.

"And, after all, isn't that what nature does?" The mechanist asked quietly, glancing over his shoulder at Aang and Xiaodan.

"Nature knows when to stop." Aang replied, his voice calmer as his anger began to fade.

"I suppose that's true." The mechanist conceded with a nod as he turned to face the five teens, "Unfortunately, progress has a way of getting away from us."

"It only gets away from you if you let it." Xiaodan said softly and the mechanist nodded his head towards her before his attention was grabbed by three lit candles sitting on a low table.

"Look at the time!" He gasped as he pointed at the candles then turned to the workers standing behind him, "Come! The pulley system must be oiled before dark."

"Wait," Sokka said as he walked closer to the three candles and looked them over skeptically, "How can you tell the time from that thing? The notches all look the same."

"The candle will tell us. Watch." The mechanist explained as he and Sokka looked at the candle which popped four times a moment later.

"You put spark powder in the candle!" Sokka exclaimed, clearly impressed and delighted as he looked up at the mechanist.

"Four flashes. So it's exactly four hours past mid-day. Or, as I call it—four o'candle." The mechanist gave a cheesy grin and Sokka laughed in amusement.

"If you like that, wait till you see my finger-safe knife sharpener. Only took me three tries to get it right." The mechanist continued, pulling off three of the wooden fingers from his left hand and tossed them into Sokka's hand as he walked past.

"Aaah!" Sokka squealed slightly as he looked at the wooden fingers in his hand with wide eyes until the mechanist returned and poked him in the back.

"Follow me!" the man urged and walked away again with Sokka hurrying after him.

Xiaodan watched Sokka and Teo's father leave along with Aang, Katara, and Teo then the young wheelchair bound boy turned to look at Aang with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Aang, Xia." He said, grabbing the two Airbenders' attention, "I want to show you something."

Aang and Xiaodan shared an interested look then followed after Teo along with Katara as he began wheeling out of the room towards another part of the Northern Air Temple.

* * *

"I just can't get over it." Aang said aloud as the four walked through a dark hallway with Teo at the front, "There's not a single thing that's the same."

"I don't about that." Teo replied as he stopped and picked up one of the native hermit crabs, holding it in his hand, "The temple might be different, but the creature that live here are probably direct descendants of the ones who lived here a long time ago."

Teo handed the hermit crab to Katara who smiled and cupped the little creature in her hands, watching as it walked sideways across her palms.

"You're right." Katara agreed as she gently poked the hermit crab's shell, "They're kind of keepers of the temple's origins."

Katara handed the crab to Aang who smiled as it began moving around his hand. Teo smiled too and picked up another crab from the ground then gently placed it into Xiaodan's hands. The white-haired girl smiled delightedly at the boy then turned her attention to the hermit crab crawling along her hand, her smiling softening into one of affection.

"Besides," He said as he started wheeling forward again, "There's one part of the temple that hasn't changed at all."

The three friends looked at Teo's back curiously then Aang and Xiaodan gently placed the hermit crabs in their hands back on the ground before following after Teo with Katara beside them.

* * *

The foursome stopped in front of a large door with a familiar Airbending contraption on the front.

"Hey, it's just like the one in the other temple!" Katara pointed out with a smile as she looked up at the door.

Teo turned his chair slightly so he was facing Xiaodan and Aang, "Only an Airbender can open it. So inside is completely untouched, just the way the monks left it. I've always wondered what it's like in there…"

Katara and Xiaodan looked at Aang curiously, the white-haired girl's head cocked slightly to the side as she waited for his decision.

"Little brother?" Xiaodan questioned gently and Aang bowed his head slightly, closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, sounding genuinely sincere, "This is the last part of the temple that's the same as it was. I want it to stay that way."

Xiaodan smiled and put her hand on his shoulder, silently telling him that she supported his decision. The younger Airbender gave her a weak smile in reply.

"I completely understand." Teo said sincerely, looking only a little disappointed but a grin soon appeared on his face as he looked at the two Airbenders standing in front of him, "I just wanted you two to know that it's here."

"Thank you." Xiaodan said gratefully, bowing to the younger boy slightly.

"Yeah, thanks, Teo." Aang said, smiling at the boy briefly then he and Xiaodan turned to leave with Katara and Teo following behind them.

* * *

"These lanterns are terrible. I can't see!" Sokka complained as he followed the mechanist down a dark stairway then paused to open the top of his lantern, revealing the fireflies inside, "Why would you want to use fireflies for light?"

"Hey close that up! They'll get loose!" The mechanist stated frantically and Sokka quickly closed the lantern lid, but not before one of the glowing insects flew out.

"Fireflies are a non-flammable light source." The mechanist explained as he and Sokka started walking down the dark stairway again.

The two came to a stop in front of a large wooden door with a gray putty-like substance surrounding the edges.

"Cover your nose," The mechanist instructed and they both plugged their noses, "And hold your breath."

Sokka held his breath just as the older man opened an eye-slot in the door and the two of them looked into a pitch-black room.

"Okay…" Sokka said with a small amount of sarcasm, "So you brought me all the way down here to see an empty room."

The mechanist slid the eye-slot shut and looked at the young Water Tribe warrior, "Wrong. It's filled to the brim with natural gas. Came across it my first time here. Unfortunately, I was carrying a torch at the time. Nearly blew myself and the whole place even more sky high! Thought my eyebrows would never grow back."

Sokka took a glance at the mechanist's patchy eyebrows and bit back a small snicker as the older man continued talking.

"Anyway, there's a vital problem that needs solving." The mechanist explained as he began checking the putty then gestured for Sokka to do the same, "From time to time, we have gas leaks. And they're nearly impossible to find."

"So, this place is an explosion waiting to happen." Sokka summed up as he stopped checking the putty and looked at the mechanist with wide eyes.

"Yes," The mechanist agreed with a nod, "Until I figure out how to locate something I can't see, here, smell, or touch."

* * *

Xiaodan grinned to herself as she leaned against her staff, watching as Teo explained how to use one of the gliders his father had invented. The Water Tribe girl was standing on the edge of one of the temple's parapets and holding onto the one the gliders as she looked over the edge.

"The wind will carry you. It supports something inside you." Teo explained as he too watched the nervous dark-haired girl, "Something even lighter than air. And that something takes over when you fly."

Katara put her glider to the side and looked down at the other kids flying below her, swallowing thickly.

"I've changed my mind." She stated as she started to back away from the edge, "I think I was born without that something."

"Impossible!" Teo said with a laugh, "Everybody has it!"

"Spirit."

"What?" Teo asked, turning to look at Xiaodan curiously, who was still leaning casually against her staff.

"Spirit." Aang clarified for his sister, "That's the something you're talking about."

"Yeah," Teo agreed thoughtfully then nodded at the two Airbenders with a grin, "I suppose it is."

Katara took a deep breath and picked the glider back up again, shifting nervously on her feet. Xiaodan laughed lightly and straightened from her slouch, twirling her glider nimbly in her hands as she walked up to the nervous girl.

"Don't worry, Katara, just let the wind hold you." The white-haired girl stated easily, then tossed herself backwards off the parapet with a whoop of joy.

Teo and Aang grinned as the pale haired girl suddenly swooped up in front of them on her blue glider, her laughter ringing through the air. Teo turned to look at Katara with an impish grin on his young face.

"Are you ready?"

"No!" Katara replied but jumped off the edge anyway and started screaming as she fell downwards, "Aaaaah!"

Her scream of terror soon became laughter as the wind caught the wings of her glider and she began flying through the clouds. Xiaodan laughed along with her as she flew beside her, a silly grin on her tanned and tattooed face.

"I can't believe I'm flying!" the dark-haired girl exclaimed, feeling completely exhilarated.

"Just make sure you keep your mouth closed so you don't swallow a bug." Aang advised as he flew up onto Katara's other side with Momo, who was catching said bugs in his mouth.

Xiaodan laughed and nodded at Aang in agreement, both remembering the first time they used their gliders and the amount of bugs that they had accidently swallowed. The female Airbender shook her head then used Airbending to speed up so that she was flying even with Teo who was a little bit ahead of Katara and Aang.

"Teo and Xia were right about the air." Katara commented lightly as she continued to fly, watching as Teo and Xia initiated a race and were soaring in-and-out of the clouds in front of her, "All I had to do was trust it, let it carry me."

Aang grinned and looked towards Teo and his sister as they both landed back on the parapet, "Even though Teo's not an Airbender, he really does have the spirit of one."

Aang veered downward and glided back towards the parapet, landing beside Teo lightly then he snapped his glider shut.

"I've been thinking," Aang commented as he looked at the wheelchair bound boy, "If you want to see what's in that room, I'd be happy to open the door for you."

"Great!" Teo exclaimed happily, beaming up at the younger Airbender.

Xiaodan grinned and put her hand on Aang's shoulder, giving him a proud smile then looked towards Katara, who was still flying back and forth in front of them.

"Wait!" the girl cried out as she flew past them, "How do I land this thing? What if I land over a-ack-ack-bleck! Bug! Bug! Ack, that was a bug!"

Teo, Aang, and Xiaodan exchanged amused looked before the older girl snapped open her glider and went to help her friend land the glider safely while the two boys watched.

* * *

Sokka looked through the shelves in the mechanist's workroom while the older man drew on a large piece of paper across the room. Sokka blinked and reached up to touch the strange looking balloon on one of the shelves curiously, which caused several scrolls, pieces of paper, the balloon thing, and a hard-boiled egg to fall to the ground.

"I said don't touch anything!" The mechanist scolded as he turned around and began helping the young Water Tribe boy pick things up,

"Oh, don't worry. That experiment's old." The mechanist said nodded towards the hot air balloon model then looked around for the hard-boiled egg that had disappeared, "And that egg was just part of last week's lunch."

"Ugh!" Sokka said after sniffing the air a few times, his face scrunching up in disgust, "Week old egg smell!"

"Quick, find that egg!" The older man urged and the two began crawling around the floor in search of the rotten egg.

* * *

Xiaodan rocked back on her heels eagerly as she and Aang stood in front of the Northern Air Temple's sanctuary with Katara and Teo standing a foot or so behind them.

"I can't believe I'm finally going to see what's inside!" Teo said excitedly and Xiaodan sent him a brief grin then turned to look at Aang.

"I take the left, you take the right?" Xiaodan asked and Aang nodded.

The two Airbenders took a deep breath and twisted their bodies around to gain momentum then thrusted both of their fists towards the horns that made up the beginnings of the lock on the door. The air blew through the horns and flipped the three blue dials around so their purple sides were now visible, the sound of dungchen horn filling the hallway as the air was forced through the dials. Xiaodan, Aang, Teo, and Katara watched eagerly as the door began to creak open.

* * *

"How can something so small that you can't even see it make such a big stink?!" Sokka wondered as he and the mechanist continued searching through the egg.

The mechanist paused and looked up as an epiphany came to him, "That's the solution to our problem!"

"Yeah…" Sokka said as he stopped searching and the two turned to face each other, "If we put a whole mess of rotten eggs in the cellar where the gas seeps up…"

"The gas will mix with the mess of rotten eggs!" The mechanist finished excitedly and Sokka nodded just as excited.

"Then if there's a leak…"

"You'll smell rotten eggs! Then you just follow your nose to the place where the smell is coming from…"

"And plug up the hole where the gas is escaping!" Sokka finished and he and the mechanist threw their hands up in the air ecstatically.

"You're a genius!" They both exclaimed then froze when a bell in the workroom began ringing.

"Something's wrong." The mechanist said as he got to his feet quickly, "I've got to go!"

Sokka watched the older man run out the door then hurriedly got to his feet and ran after him.

* * *

"This is a nightmare…" Aang said in horror as he, Xiaodan, Katara, and Teo stared at the inside of the Temple Sanctuary with dread and shock on their faces where Fire Nation weapons in varying stages of completeness were residing.

"You don't understand!"

The four turned around to stare at the mechanist as he walked up behind them with Sokka trailing after him.

"You're making weapons for the Fire Nation!" Xiaodan shouted, throwing her arm backwards to gesture at the massive hot air balloon and multiple uncompleted weapons in the room behind her.

"You make weapons for the Fire Nation?!" Sokka demanded angrily as he looked at the older man with an angry and betrayed expression.

"Explain all this!" Teo barked, sounding surprisingly harsh as he stared at his father, "Now!"

The mechanist looked away from their accusing stares with an ashamed look on his face.

"It was about a year after we moved here. Fire Nation soldiers found our settlement." The mechanist explained as he glanced at his son, "You were too young to remember this, Teo. They were going to destroy everything! Burn it to the ground! I pleaded with them, I begged them to spare us! They asked what I had to offer. I offered…my services."

The eccentric man looked at his son pleadingly, "You must understand. I did this for you!"

Teo looked way from his father, causing the mechanist's shoulders slumped and he walked away from the five teens, heading back to his work room.

* * *

The mechanist sighed as he put two eggs with smiley faces drawn on them into his hot air balloon model, along with a candle to make it float. He watched as the model hot air balloon rose into the air, his expression depressed when the door to his workroom was opened and he turned to look at the young Avatar, the white-haired girl, and his son standing in the doorway.

"When are they coming?" Aang asked firmly, his tone demanding an answer.

"Soon." The mechanist replied despondently just as the one of his time candles popped a single time, "Very soon."

"You can't give them any more weapons." Xiaodan stated as she, Aang, and Teo moved further into the room so they were standing right in front of the mechanist.

"If I don't give them what they want, they will destroy this place!" The mechanist protested just as his model hot air balloon caught on fire and crashed to the ground, which he hurried to put out with a cloth.

"How can I be proud of you when your inventions are being used for murder?" Teo asked his father, his voice sorrowfully as he looked up at him.

"I need some time to think." The man said, not making eye contact with any of them and he jumped when the bell on his desk suddenly rang.

"You need to leave!" He said urgently as he tried to usher the three out of the room, "Go!"

"We're not leaving!" Teo snapped, putting the brakes on his chair to keep his father from pushing him out the door.

"Then hide! Quickly!" the mechanist ordered and shepherded the three behind some of his inventions, then he pulled on a rope that opened a trapdoor on the floor of his workroom which lifted Fire Nation war minister into the room.

"You know better than to keep me waiting. Give me what you owe us so we can be on our way." The minster snapped harshly as he walked forward, glaring when the mechanist looked at the floor, "Well? Is there a problem?"

"No, right this way." The mechanist said quickly and gestured towards the open door, his eyes still downcast.

The minister walked towards the door but Aang used Airbending to push a small table into the door, closing it with a snap as he landed on top of the table in a crouch.

"The deal's off."

"The Avatar…" The minister murmured in surprise.

"Aang, don't get involved!" The mechanist pleaded worriedly as he looked between the minister and Aang.

"If I don't get what I came here for, the Fire Nation will burn this place to rubble!" the minister threatened menacingly.

"Get out of here!" Aang ordered, slapping the minister in the face with a stream of air, "You're leaving empty-handed."

The minister straightened and glared at Aang evilly, "Then the destruction of this temple will be on your head."

The Fire Nation minister left through the trapdoor and Xiaodan stepped out of her hiding spot, thrusting her fist forward then up, Airbending the trapdoor shut with a snap. Xiaodan and Aang look at each other, their expressions determined and they nodded in silent understanding. They would fight for this temple and its new inhabitants no matter what.

* * *

"This is bad." Teo stated worried as he, Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Xiaodan stood on a tall bridge.

"Very bad!" Sokka agreed pessimistically.

"Aang, what are we gonna do?" Katara asked, sounding just as worried as Teo and her brother, "How can we possibly keep them all away."

"I'll tell you how. We have something they don't." Aang said and smirked as he and Xiaodan pointed to the sky where a few kids were gliding, "Air power."

"We control the sky." Xiaodan continued, taking over the explanation briefly, "That's something the Fire Nation can't do. We can win!"

"I want to help."

The five teens turn to look at the mechanist as he appeared in the entryway leading onto the bridge.

"Good." Aang said with a nod and a slight smile, "We'll need it."

Xiaodan grinned at the man and pumped her fist in the head, "Lets knock some Fire Nation heads!"

"Oh yeah!" Sokka cheered and the two older teens high-fived each other.

* * *

"We finally got the war balloon working, thanks to Sokka." The mechanist said as he put his hand on the young Water Tribe warrior's shoulder, "This boy's a genius!"

"Thank you." Sokka said graciously as he grinned at the mechanist, "You're a genius!"

"Thank you!"

Katara, Aang, and Xiaodan exchanged deadpan looks then turned back to face Sokka and the mechanist along with the other people in the room who would be using the gliders.

"See, the problem with the old war balloon was you could get air-borne, but once it did, it just kept going." Sokka explained to the gathering as he gestured to the papers on the table they were standing behind, "You could put a hole in the top, but then all the hot air would escape. So the question, became, how do you keep a lid on hot air?"

"Ugh, if only we knew." Katara muttered and she, Aang, Xiaodan, and Teo snickered amongst each other.

"A lid is actually the answer!" Sokka exclaimed, choosing to ignore his sister's comment, "If you control the hot air, you control the war balloon."

"Huh, that's actually pretty smart." Katara complimented her brother, her tone sounding slightly surprised.

"Yeah, Sokka, I'm impressed." Xiaodan stated with a smirk as she crossed her arms over her chest, "What else you got?"

"Okay, we've got four kinds of bombs." Sokka replied, nodding towards the pale-haired girl, "Smoke, slime, fire, and…"

"Stink!" The mechanist finished gleefully, "Never underestimate the power of stink!"

The group nodded and murmured quietly to themselves for a moment then everyone began heading outside to the parapet to start preparations.

* * *

"They're coming!" A little girl shouted as she leaned over the edge of the parapet and pointed at the incoming Fire Nation soldiers.

"Are we ready?" Teo asked as he looked around.

"Yes." Katara replied then looked around as well, "But where's Sokka with the war balloon?"

"We'll have to start without it." Aang stated as he jumped off Appa's head, his glider in hand.

"Might be a good idea anyway," Xiaodan piped in as she tied off the end of the braid she had pulled her unruly hair into then leapt out of Appa's saddle, "The element of surprise and all."

Aang nodded at her in agreement and snapped opened his glider as the others began readying the gliders the mechanist had invented for takeoff. Xiaodan grinned and snapped open her own glider and the group of flyers got into formation with Aang at the front and Xiaodan and Teo slightly behind him on either side.

Aang gave the signal and the flyers took a running jump from the parapet, flying through the clouds towards the incoming soldiers, the rest of the temple dwellers cheering them on as they took off into the sky.

Aang, Xiaodan, and Teo lead the gliders through the clouds and started the assault on the Fire Nation troops making their way up to the top of the mountain, dropping the different bombs on the soldiers.

"Take them out of the sky! Now!"

Xiaodan whooped a laugh when she heard the soldiers command, laughing even harder when they raised their spears only to have slime bombs dropped on them. The Fire Nation soldiers began to cough and fall of the cliff as more bombs were dropped on them. The white-haired girl grinned widely as she flew up high then snapped her glider shut, using Airbending to slow her descent. She swung her staff quickly, sending an air blast at the soldiers and knocking them off the cliff side then she snapped her glider back open and soared back up into the air with the rest of the gliders.

Aang grinned as he watched his sister knock the soldiers from the mountain then he flew closer to the snowy mountain above the soldiers and leapt off his glider, creating an air scooter. He zoomed across the ledge on the air scooter, causing snow to fall on the soldiers below then he jumped back on his glider quickly, a grin spreading across his face as he watched the Fire Nation troops retreat back down the mountain.

"We've got 'em on the run!" Aang shouted as he came up between Teo and Xiaodan, "We need more slime!"

"On it!" Xiaodan called back then turned her glider upwards sharply and flew above the clouds, heading over to where Katara was sitting in Appa's saddle, tossing bombs up to the other gliders with Momo.

The white-haired girl was about to call out to the Water Tribe girl when chain grappling hooks suddenly shoot out of the clouds and nearly hit Appa as they latched onto the cliff, causing the large sky bison to rear back and nearly toss Katara from the saddle.

"Whoa!" Xiaodan gasped as she veered abruptly to the side to avoid being impaled on a grappling hook and she looked down, her orange eyes widening when she saw the metal tanks beginning to scale the cliff wall using the grappling hooks, "Spirits…"

Xiaodan landed on the side of the cliff beside one of the hooks and snapped her glider shut, jamming the end of it under the hook the trying to prying the hook from the cliff side while the gliders continued to drop bombs onto the tanks in an attempt to slow them down.

Aang saw what Xiaodan was doing then he flew closer to the cliff face, snapping his own glider shut and laid flat against it, causing the end to be embedded in the Cliffside, just underneath one of the grappling hooks. He quickly swung himself around so that he was hanging onto his glider and bounced slightly, using his weight to prying the hook loose. Aang snapped his glider back open and flew back up, looking down to watch the tank fall only for his mouth to drop in shocked dismay as the tank fired another grappling hook. Aang veered backwards with a gasp to avoid the second grappling hook as it flew through the air and latched onto the top of the cliff.

Aang and the other gliders flew around the top of the cliff, still trying to hold off the tanks as they continued to advance towards the temple, while he gliders swerved and rolled through the air, dodging the fire blasts being launched at them by the Firebenders inside the tank.

Aang landed in the midst of encroaching Fire Nation tanks, glaring at them with a determined expression on his face as he swung his staff, Airbending the tanks away from the temple. Xiaodan landed beside him and they both watched in dismay as the tanks flipped away but instead of stopping, the cabins rotated upright again and the tanks continued towards the Northern Air Temple.

"Whoa!" Xiaodan gasped, using her staff to deflect the fireball that were no being directed at her and Aang, "This isn't working, little brother!"

"I know!" Aang shouted back as the two Airbenders continued to dodge and deflect fireballs while making their way to the bottom of the cliff the temple had been built on.

* * *

"Those things are unstoppable!" Katara exclaimed as she watched Aang and Xiaodan try to stop the tanks from atop Appa's head.

"I think I know how they work." Teo replied as the too observed the tanks and the two Airbenders as he flew alongside Katara and Appa, "I remember my dad tinkering with the counterbalance system. Something to do with water. Works great, huh?"

"Water?" Katara questioned as an idea came to her and she looked over at Teo, "Can you get me close to one?"

"No problem!"

* * *

"Duck!" Xiaodan yelled then swung her staff and sent an air slice at one of the tanks after Aang had ducked down.

Aang straightened back up and sent his own air slice at the approaching tanks just as Katara landed between him and Xiaodan after jumping off the back of Teo's chair.

"Nice of you to drop in!" The white-haired girl quipped as she bent backwards, a fireball passing over her harmlessly.

Katara grinned slightly then began motioning with her arms as she prepared to Waterbend while Aang and Xiaodan continued to attack the tanks with air. The dark-haired girl breathed deeply then kneeled and cupped her hands around her mouth, exhaling a cloud of icy breath that quickly shoots forward, towards an approaching tank, freezing it in place. Katara straightened and raised her arms, bending the ice so that it popped out the bolts keeping the tank's wheels in place, causing the wheels to fall off.

"Whoo!" Xiaodan cheered and threw her arms in the air as Katara continued to use Waterbending to create ice that stopped the tanks forward progression.

The white-haired girl's good cheer died a moment later when it became apparent that there were too many tanks for Katara to Waterbend, even with Aang's help. Soon, both Aang and Xiaodan were defending the dark-haired girl from the fire blasts being launched at them, but they were quickly becoming overwhelmed.

"Appa!" Xiaodan and Aang exclaimed simultaneously as the sky bison landed in front of the two Airbenders and tossed two tanks away with his head.

Aang, Katara, and Xiaodan quickly ran up Appa's tail and leapt into his saddle, the sky bison taking off as soon a moment later.

"They're still coming!" Xiaodan stated, her voice high pitched with trepidation as the three teens looked down incoming troops and tanks, "Where's Sokka with that balloon!?"

The trio hopped from Appa's saddle when he landed on one of the temple's balcony overlooking the army.

"We're out of bombs!" Teo said anxiously as he wheeled over to the three after landing a few moments ago along with the rest of the gliders.

"Come on, Sokka." Katara muttered urgently as she looked at the approaching troops, her hands clasped to her chest, "Where's that war balloon."

"He did it!"

Katara turned when she heard Xiaodan's shout and looked over, her blue eyes widening in awe as she watched Sokka and Teo's father direct the massive war balloon with three huge bombs hanging from it towards the invaders alongside Aang, Teo, and Xiaodan.

* * *

"Hey, why aren't they shooting at us?" Sokka asked as he looked at the Fire Nation troops below him while the mechanist steered the war balloon.

"The insignia!" The mechanist exclaimed and pointed towards the red balloon where the Fire Nation insignia was painted in black, "They think we're on their side."

"Then I guess they won't see this coming." Sokka stated deviously as he sliced one of the ropes keeping a large bomb attached to the war balloon's basket.

"Bombs away!" The mechanist shouted as the slime bomb landed on the tanks and soldiers, covering them in nasty green slime.

Sokka grinned as he continued to the ropes connected to the bombs, both the two remained huge ones and several smaller ones, stopping some of the tanks and troops. Sokka and the mechanist looked over the side of the basket, taking in their handiwork only to stare in horror as the unaffected tanks began scaling the cliff.

"Oh no, that was the last one!" Sokka stated after the last bomb had hit the ground, watching as the tanks got closer to the temple.

The mechanist turned to Sokka then paused when a smell reached his nose, "Wait a second. You smell that?"

Sokka sniffed the air and his expression turned delighted then disgusted, "Rotten eggs!"

The two looked over the edge of the basket again and caught sight of a large crevice in the ground below them where the smell was coming from.

"There!" Sokka said excitedly as he pointed toward the crevice, "That's where the gas is escaping!"

The tanks continued to scale the cliff towards the Northern Air Temple while the people that lived their tried to knock the hooks away. Sokka looked at the tanks then the crevice and his expression changed as an epiphany hit him. He rushed over to the furnace that was keeping the war balloon in the air and began removing it.

"What are doing?" The mechanist squawked as he looked at Sokka like he was crazy, "That's our fuel source!"

"It's the only bomb we've got." Sokka retorted and the two leveraged the furnace over the side of the basket and into the crevice where the natural gas was escaping.

* * *

Xiaodan, Aang, Katara, and Teo looked over the edge of the balcony at the approaching Fire Nation army as the war balloon flew away from the temple. Nothing seemed to be able to the troops from getting to the temple when a huge explosion went off suddenly, throwing up a massive cloud of smoke and heat. The white-haired girl yelped and recoiled with the other three teens and covered her face with her arm when the smoke flew up towards them followed by a brief wave of heat.

"Look!" Aang exclaimed excited as the smoke cleared and he pointed towards the retreating Fire Nation soldiers, "They're retreating!"

"Yes!" Xiaodan shouted gleefully as she jumped and punched her fist in the air in triumph as the crowd to Earth Kingdom refugees cheered behind them.

"We're going down!" Sokka shouted as the war balloon suddenly sailed past the balcony, heading straight for the ground.

"No, Sokka! Hold on!" Katara shouted and Aang jumped onto his glider then flew towards the two in the rapidly falling war balloon, leaving Xiaodan, Teo, and Katara to watch worriedly from the balcony.

"Get ready!" Sokka called out to the mechanist as he finished tying a rope to the end of his boomerang and began swinging it in a circle as Aang flew towards them.

Aang circled around the war balloon once and Sokka threw his boomerang towards the younger Airbender when he came around the front again, the boomerang latching onto the back of the glider near Aang's feet. The mechanist grabbed Sokka and he screamed when Aang pulled them from the basket as he flew back up to the temple, leaving the war balloon to crash to the ground at the bottom of the mountains.

* * *

"You know what? I'm really glad you guys all live here now." Aang said as he smiled at Teo and his father as they and the group stood outside the temple with the sun setting in front of them.

Xiaodan smiled at Aang from her spot sitting on the base of old statue beside Katara as her brother picked up a hermit crab from beside her, lightly touching its shell with his finger.

"I realized, it's like the hermit crab." Aang continued as he smiled at the little creature in his hands, "Maybe you weren't born here, but you found this empty shell and made it your home. And now you protect each other."

"That means a lot," Teo stated gratefully as he smiled up at Aang, "Coming from you."

"Aang, you and Xia were right about air power." Sokka commented suddenly as he grinned widely and pointed at the sky, "As long as we got skies, we'll have the Fire Nation on the run!"

"Oh yeah!" Xiaodan shouted as she jumped up and threw her arms in the air, laughing as the crowd of temple dwellers cheered along with her.

No one noticed the mechanist turn slightly away from the cheering crowd and look down at the ground despondently.

* * *

War Minster Qin smirked as he watched one of his soldiers figured out how to get the crashed war balloon working using their Firebending.

"This defeat is the gateway to many victories." The man stated as he folded his hands in front of him, watching gleefully as one of the soldiers began inflating the balloon with Firebending, the Fire Nation insignia showing proudly.

* * *

**Author's Note: Oh my god, I am sorry for the somewhat late update. Honestly, I've been so busy with school work that I barely had time to sit down and write the chapters and when I did find the time, my creativity and inspiration was nearly fried. Anyhooties, this chapter is kind of short compared to the past few but I hope it's okay anyway and I hope y'all enjoyed reading it. I hope everyone was in character and everything was well-written. Next chapter takes place during Season 1 Episode 18: The Waterbending Master, which is super-duper exciting, and it will be posted on Saturday so stay tuned for that!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! I lurves you guys and think you are all awesome!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Dream lighting: **Awesome, I'm glad you like Xia and I hope you like this chapter too!

**LadyAmazon: **Haha, yup, poor ZuZu missing his annoying 'pest.' I hope you like this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, my sister thought it would be pretty awesome too, I just hope I'm able to make it as awesomely epic as it sounds. Ooh, that's a good question and one that will be answered in that chapter! XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Angel2u: **Yup! I love awesome-sauce! Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Anonymous Guest: **Yuppers! I hope you like this chapter!

**Anonymous Guest: **That's awesome! Have you posted the story on this site? I'm always looking for more AtLA stories to read. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**88dragon06: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Phew, I'm happy no one was OOC in the last chapter, I was, as always, worried about that. Haha, I thought that would be a fun little twist, they don't necessarily like each other yet but they can't help but think about each other. Kinda like when you have the _**It's a Small World**_song stuck in your head. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**02: **Thanks, I'm glad you like Xia, she's definitely one of my new favorite OCs that I've created. Sorry there weren't any Xiabug (or Zukia if you prefer) moments in this chapter, there will be some coming up soon though! Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: **Haha, just a little bit. Like _**this**_much –holds fingers a few millimeters apart-  
Ah, yeah, The Deserter isn't one of my favorites either, but I think it's not necessarily a filler chapter since it sets the stage for why Zuko was always supposed to be Aang's Firebending teacher, ya know? Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Haha, flame brain, that's funny. XD Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!


	19. Chapter 19: The Waterbending Master

**AN: Chapter 19 takes place during Season 1 Episode 18: The Waterbending Master, which means we are only two episodes away from Season 2! Huzzah! Anyhooties, various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

* * *

"I'm not one to complain," Sokka started to whine as Appa soared lazily over the ocean and past several jagged ice peaks, "But can't Appa fly any higher?"

Aang turned his head to glare over his shoulder at the older boy, "I have an idea! Why don't we all get on _your_ back and you could fly us to the North Pole!"

"I'd love to." Sokka retorted sarcastically and began shaking his rear at Aang, causing Katara and Xiaodan to sigh in exasperation, "Climb on everyone, Sokka's ready for takeoff."

Momo jumped onto his back and chittered. Xiaodan to snorted and kicked the young Water Tribe warrior's in the butt with the bottom of her foot, causing Momo to jump away when Sokka began to flail around. Sokka turned around and glared at the smirking white-haired after regaining his balance, shaking his fist threateningly at her.

"Look," Katara started, trying to keep the peace between the irritated trio, "We're all just a little tired and cranky because we've been flying for two days straight."

"And for what?" Sokka demanded as he gestured with one arm as Momo hopped into his lap, "We can't even find the Northern Water Tribe. There's nothing up here!"

The sound of water splashing drew the four teens' attention and Aang turned around just into to see a large ice spike appear in front of Appa.

"AHHH!" Aang screamed as he jerked Appa's reins to the side and Appa growled as he began to swerve sharply around more ice spikes.

Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan all screamed and clung to the rim of Appa's saddle as the bison nearly turned completely on his side while flying in the air. Appa tried to fly higher into the air to avoid another spike but the ice seemed to move of its own accord and grabbed onto one of his paws, causing him to spin out of control with Aang clinging desperately to the reins as he swung off Appa's head.

The large bison grumbled as he hit the water on his side the shifted so he was on his belly. He roared loudly as the water around him suddenly froze, keeping him in place.

"They're Waterbenders!" Katara shouted excitedly when she saw the numerous boats begin to surround them, "We found the Water Tribe."

"It's more like they found us." Xiaodan groaned as she moved into a sitting position in Appa's saddle and rubbed the back of her head where she had bumped it against Sokka's when Appa was careening out of control.

The white-haired girl looked at the numerous Waterbenders and warriors on the boats surrounding Appa then casually plucked at the hem of her Earth Kingdom shirt, looking at the matching loose, brown pants.

"I guess it was a good idea we stopped at that village and bought me these clothes…"

* * *

"He's heading north, the Northern Water Tribe." Zhao explained coolly as he turned away from the map of the world to look at his advisers with his hands clasped behind his back, "The Avatar needs to master Waterbending. He's looking for a teacher."

"Then what are we waiting for?" One of his advisers asked impatiently, "Let's go get him!"

"Patience, Captain Li." Zhao chided condescendingly, "This isn't some little Earth village we can just march into. The Water Tribe is a great nation. There's a reason they've survived a hundred years of war. The frozen tundra is treacherous, the landscape itself is an icy fortress. We'll need a massive invasion force."

Zhao had started walking around the other side of the low table his advisers were sitting around as he spoke and stopped at the head of the table, looking at each of his advisers coldly as he finished talking.

* * *

"There's it is!" Aang exclaimed excitedly as he pointed towards the magnificent wall of thick ice that surrounded the Northern Water Tribe's city.

Xiaodan leaned forward against the front of the saddle beside Katara, no longer interested in making faces at the Northern Water Tribe members that were escorting them towards the city.

"The Northern Water…" Katara said in an awed whisper as she held one hand to her chest in amazement.

"We're finally here." Sokka added, his own voice sounding surprised as he gazed at the wall.

The four watch as a couple Waterbenders in one of the boats Waterbended a portion of the wall. One of the Waterbender's smiled as the four teens looked over at him and he held his hands out, gesturing for them to enter the tunnel that had been made in the wall. Aang grinned and snapped Appa's reins, urging the sky bison forward.

"Whoa…" Xiaodan muttered in wonderment as Appa stopped in the middle of a large square area in front of another wall and Waterbenders standing atop of the walls used Waterbending to simultaneously lower the wall in front of them and add more water into the square area, raising the water level.

"I can't believe how many Waterbenders live up here!" Katara commented as she looked around, the water around them rising steadily.

"We'll find a master to teach us, no problem." Aang agreed, grinning over his shoulder at the dark-haired girl.

The water stopped rising and the wall in front of them lowered completely, allowing Appa to swimming into the channels of the city. Xiaodan grinned widely and waved at the villagers who were staring at them in surprise as Appa swam past them. Aang grinned as well and started doing the same as he let Appa follow the boat in front of them. Xiaodan glanced to the side and quirked a brow when she saw small canoe with a white-haired girl sitting primly at the front while a Waterbender sailed it through the water past them. Apparently, Xiaodan wasn't the only one to notice the girl because she caught Sokka's eyes go wide and a blush form on his face.

"This place is beautiful." Katara commented as she looked around.

"Yeah…" Sokka said dreamily as he looked after the mysterious white-haired girl after moving to stand on Appa's tail, "She is…"

Katara looked in the direction her brother was staring then she looked at Xiaodan, who grinned at her and the two girls began to giggle quietly at Sokka's love struck expression.

* * *

"Winter, Spring… Summer and Fall…" Iroh sang as Lieutenant Jee played a lute and two other crew members played their own instruments while two of the engineers danced around the small fire on the main deck, "Winter, Spring…Summer and Fall…four seasons…four loves…four seasons…four loves…"

Lieutenant Jee accidently played a high-pitched note when he caught sight of the two soldiers along with Admiral Zhao board the ship and the other crew members turned to look at the smirking man, practically frozen in their positions. Iroh paused in his sing and glanced behind him at Zhao, his expression calm and collected.

* * *

Xiaodan sat the long table between Aang and Katara with Sokka on his sister's other side, her legs crossed with her elbow on her knee and her chin resting in her palm as she listened to the drums being played. She smirked slightly when she saw four men carry a large platter of seaweed over to Appa and the white-haired girl bite back a snicker as the men ran away with small screams when Appa growled and began eating the seaweed. Both Xiaodan and Sokka grinned widely at the sight before turning back to look at the Arnook, the Northern Water Tribe's chief, stood up and the drums stopped playing.

"Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sister from the Southern Tribe. And they brought with them one of the last Airbenders and someone very special, someone whom many of us believed disappeared from the world until now…The Avatar! Not only have they brought the Avatar, but one of the last Airbenders as well!" Arnook said grandly, gesturing first to Katara and Sokka then Xiaodan, and finally to Aang as four men lowered a giant crab into a pool of boiling water and the crowd cheered and applauded, "We also celebrate my daughter's sixteenth birthday. Princess Yue is now of marrying age!'

The white-haired girl Sokka had been ogling early stepped forward with two older women walking on either side and slightly behind her. Princess Yue smiled and briefly bowed her head demurely towards her father.

"Thank you, Father." She said graciously then addressed the crowd, "May the great Ocean and Moon spirits watch over us during these troubled times!"

"Now, Master Pakku and his students will perform!" Arnook exclaimed, gesturing with one arm towards the three men standing on a raised platform across from the head table.

The older man, Master Pakku and the two younger men began Waterbending to significant bubbles of water from three large jugs in front of the raised platform, completely captivating Katara and Aang as the two applauded. Xiaodan smiled and shook her head, her grin widening when she saw Princess Yue walk over and sit down at the end of the table beside Sokka, who was shoveling food in his mouth. Xiaodan giggled quietly behind her hand when she glanced over and saw Sokka swallow his mouthful then brush his hands off and lean one elbow against the table, looking at the princess nonchalantly.

"Hi, there." Sokka greeted in an attempt at suaveness, "Sokka, Southern Water Tribe."

"Very nice to meet you." Yue replied with an inclination of her head, then the two looked away from each other awkwardly.

"So…uhhh…you're a princess, huh?" Sokka stuttered nervously then cleared his throat, trying to sound confident, "You know, back in my tribe, I'm kinda like a prince, myself."

"Ha, prince of what?" Katara quipped with a snicker as she leaned over her brother's shoulder slightly.

"A lot of thinks!" Sokka said defensively, "Do you mind? I'm trying to have a conversation here."

"My apologies, _Prince _Sokka." Katara drawled sarcastically then turned to giggle quietly with Xiaodan, who had witnessed the whole thing.

Sokka glared at the two girls for a moment then turned back to Yue, "So, it looks like I'm going to be in town for a while. I'm thinking…maybe we could…do an activity, together?"

"Do an activity?" Yue asked, slightly confused as she laughed quietly.

Sokka blushed in embarrassment and shoved some food in his mouth to cover it up.

"Very smooth…" Xiaodan whispered to him as she leaned slightly over Katara and the two girls snickered in amusement.

Aang glanced over at his sister and Katara as they ate and teased Sokka then he followed Arnook when the older man motioned for him to. Arnook lead him over to where Master Pakku was still standing on the raised platform and stood the side as the two benders faced each other.

"Mast Pakku, meet your newest student, the Avatar." Arnook introduced with a smile as he indicated the young Airbender, who bowed to Pakku respectfully.

Pakku looked over the boy standing in front of him critically with his hands folded inside his robe sleeves, "Just because you're destined to save the world, don't expect any special treatment."

"My friend and I can't wait to start training with you!" Aang replied after giving the man a confused look, "After we relax for a few days."

"If you want to relax then I suggest visiting a tropical island." Pakku stated drily as he looked around in disinterest, "If not, I'll see you both at sunrise. Good night."

Aang watched in surprise as the Waterbending master walked away.

* * *

Iroh eased open the metal door to his nephew's cabin and poked his head inside, instantly noticing Zuko leaning against the wall with his arms crossed while glaring into a corner where a familiar looking staff was leaning.

"For the last time. I'm not playing the tsungi horn!"

"No, it's about our plans." Iroh said worriedly as he looked at his nephew carefully and stepped further into the dimly lit room, "There's a bit of a problem."

Zhao stepped into the room then, standing slightly behind Iroh as he stared at the banished prince coldly.

"I'm taking your crew." The Admiral stated matter-of-factly.

"What?!" Zuko demanded, pushing himself a way from the wall and moving to stand a foot or so away from the older man.

"I'm taking them for a little expedition to the North Pole." Zhao said with a smirk as he walked around Iroh and stood in front of the seething prince.

"Uncle, is that true?" Zuko asked in disbelief as he looked over Zhao's shoulder at his uncle.

"I'm afraid so. He's taking everyone." Iroh confirmed then covered his eyes with his arm in sadness, "Even the cook."

"Sorry you won't be there to watch me capture the Avatar." Zhao sneered down at the prince, "But I can't have you getting in my way again."

Zuko growled and charged towards Zhao with fire burning his eyes only for Iroh to move forward and stop him by putting his hands on his chest.

"No!" Iroh gasped, keeping his hands raised slightly as he and Zuko watched Zhao walk towards to crossed broadswords hanging on the wall of Zuko's cabin.

"I didn't know you were skilled with broadswords, Prince Zuko." Zhao stated with feigned interested as he picked up one of the swords, remembering how the Blue Spirit had used the same kind of swords back at Pohuai Stronghold to rescue the Avatar.

"I'm not." Zuko replied and looked off to the side, "They're antiques, just decorative."

Zhao scrutinized the prince skeptically then began examining the broadsword in his hand as he addressed Iroh, "Have you heard of the Blue Spirit, General Iroh?"

"Just rumors." Iroh answered flippantly, "I don't think he's real."

"He's real alright. He's a criminal and an enemy of the Fire Nation." Zhao stated as he walked towards the other two then twisted the sword so the blade was facing down as he held it out to Iroh, who took the broadsword from the Admiral's hand.

"But I have a feeling justice will catch up with him soon." Zhao continued as he walked towards the door to the cabin and paused in the doorway with one hand on the door, "General Iroh, the offer to join my mission still stands…if you change your mind."

Zuko's jaw clenched as he and his uncle watched the other man leave the room, closing the metal door behind him.

* * *

"I've waited for this day my whole life!" Katara said excitedly as she, Aang, and Xiaodan walked up to the palace, "I finally get to learn from a real Waterbending master!"

Xiaodan chuckled and skipped forwards a few steps to keep pace with the two excited younger teens.

"We can tell, Katara." The white-haired Airbender teased good-naturedly as reach the place where the feast had been held the night before, where Master Pakku was currently bending a stream of water with his back to the three teens.

"Good morning, Master Pakku!" Aang greeted loudly with his arm raised in a wave, his loud greeting causing Master Pakku to drop the water.

"No, please, barge right in." Pakku stated drily in an annoyed tone as he lowered his arms, "I'm not concentrating or anything."

Xiaodan giggled behind her hand at the obvious grouchiness of the old Waterbending Master, something that reminded her of a grumpy banished prince that she knew. The white-haired girl shook her head slightly to rid herself of those particular thoughts quickly.

"Uh…" Aang replied unsurely then grinned and gestured towards Katara standing between him and Xiaodan with a hand, "This is my friend, Katara. The one I told you about? And this is my sister, Xia, she wanted to watch you teach us."

Katara bowed slightly in respect, her hands clasped behind her back as she tried to keep her eagerness in check while Xiaodan gave her own brief bow of respect to bending Master. Pakku looked from Aang towards the two girls then turned away, Waterbending a block of ice to use as a seat.

"I'm sorry, I think there's been a misunderstanding." Pakku stated, not sounding even remotely apologetic as he basically dismissed both girls, "You didn't tell me your friend was a girl. In our tribe, it is _forbidden_ for women to learn Waterbending."

"Say what now?" Xiaodan asked in confusion.

"What do you mean you won't teach me?" The dark haired girl demanded angrily at the same time as she stalked towards Pakku, "I didn't travel across the entire world so you could tell me no!"

"No." Pakku said coolly as he looked at the dark-haired girl dispassionately.

"But there must be other female Waterbenders in your tribe!" Katara protested, still upset as she put her hands on her hips and glared at the older man.

"Here, the women learn from Yugoda to use their Waterbending to heal." Pakku replied matter-of-factly, "I'm sure she would be happy to take you as he student, despite your bad attitude."

Xiaodan's eyebrows rose nearly to her hairline and she stared at Pakku in disbelief.

"He's joking right?" She muttered to Aang, giving the younger Airbender a sidelong glance.

"I don't think so, Xia." Aang answered just as quietly, his eyes never straying from the fuming Katara.

"Wow," The white-haired girl mumbled as she shook her head in utter bewilderment, "I didn't think it was possible for someone to be more sexist than Sokka…"

"I don't want to heal!" Katara shouted furiously, throwing her arms out to express her agitation, "I want to fight!"

"I can see that." Pakku commented drily as he looked at Katara with superiority, "But our tribe has customs, rules."

"Well, your rules stink!" Katara retorted with a huff.

"Yeah, they're not fair!" Aang agreed as he moved to stand beside the dark-haired girl, glaring at Pakku, "If you won't teach Katara, then-"

"Then what?" Pakku asked impassively as he stood and stared Aang down.

"Then I won't learn from you!" Aang shouted and turned, leaving Xiaodan and Katara to stare after him in surprise.

"Well, have fun teaching yourself!" Pakku scoffed as he watched the younger Airbender walk away, "I'm sure you'll do a great job."

"Wait! Aang didn't mean that!" Katara said quickly to Pakku then rushed after Aang, leaving Xiaodan standing near Pakku.

The white-haired girl looked over at the older man, her arms folded over her chest, "You're a horrible old man, I hope you know that?"

Pakku's eye twitched slightly and he glared down at the female Airbender.

"And you, missy, have even less of a reason to be here than the other girl." The Waterbending Master snapped, waving his hand in a condescending shooing gesturing, "Run along now."

"Horrible and bitter." Xiaodan mused and shook her head as she began to rock back-and-forth on her heels with her hands now clasped behind her back, her orange eyes watching Katara as she ran towards Aang, "Clearly you've never had kids or been married…"

Meanwhile, Katara reached Aang and put her hand on Aang's shoulder, turning him to face her.

"You can't risk your training for me." Katara said to the younger Airbender urgently, "You have to learn from Master Pakku, even if he is a big jerk."

Aang hesitated a moment then nodded his head in agreement. Katara smiled a little sadly and patted his shoulder gently in assurance then turned to look over at where Xiaodan was still standing near a clearly annoyed Pakku.

"Come on, Xia, I'm sure Master Yugoda will be more _willing_ to let you watch me train." Katara called out to the slightly older girl, motioning for Xiaodan to follow her.

Xiaodan glanced over at Pakku and scrunched her face up at him then walked over to where Katara was still waiting beside Aang near the top of the stairs.

"Train hard and have fun, little brother." Xiaodan said, rubbing Aang's head affectionately as she walked past him and down the stairs with Katara.

Aang watched the two girls leave sadly, his staff loosely held in his hand.

"Why don't we get started, then?" Pakku asked rhetorically then smirked as he blasted Aang with a stream of water when the boy turned to look at him, nearly causing Aang to fall down the stairs.

* * *

"Princess Yue, good morning!" Sokka called out when he saw the Northern Water Tribe princess's gondola pass under the bridge he'd been standing on and he quickly ran down the steps and along the small path beside the canal until he caught up with Yue's boat.

"Hey, how about that picnic last night?" Sokka questioned as he slowed to a walk alongside the princess's boat and rubbed the back of his head as he caught his breath, "Boy, your dad sure knows how to throw a party."

"I'm happy you enjoyed yourself." Yue replied sincerely with a slight smile as she looked at the boy.

"Well, it wasn't as much fin after you left." Sokka said then blushed which caused Yue to blush as well.

Sokka cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "So, I'm still hoping we could see more of each other."

"Do an activity, you mean?" Yue asked in amusement as she watched the boy from the corner of her eye, her lips curled in a small smile.

"Yes!" Sokka agreed eagerly, then awkwardly continued as he gestured with his hands, "At a place…for some time."

"I'd love to. I'll meet you on that bridge tonight." Yue said with a light laugh as she pointed towards the bridge in front of her.

"Great! I'll see you-Ah!" Sokka's happy reply was cut off by him yelping as he walked off the small ice path and into the water.

Yue giggled behind her hands, peering behind her as the gondola continued moving forward.

"Sorry." She apologized and waved slightly with one hand.

"That's okay, it was worth it." Sokka replied with a grin as he climbed out of the water and waved to the pretty princess, "See you tonight."

"That was very smooth."

Sokka yelped and spun around which caused him to slip and fall back into the water. The Water Tribe boy resurfaced, spitting water out of his mouth as he glared up at Xiaodan who was peering down at him with a cheeky smile on her tanned face.

"Sometimes I really don't like you." Sokka grumbled as he pulled himself out of the water again, still glaring at the white-haired girl, "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you would be watching Aang and Katara train or something."

"Yep, Katara and I were on our way to the healing hut when I saw you. I thought I'd say hello." Xiaodan answered then smirked at Sokka, "Hello."

"Yeah, I really don't like her right now…" Sokka muttered to himself as he watched the white-haired Airbender snap open her glider and fly off in the direction she had just come from.

* * *

"I'm very impressed." Zhao said as he rested his elbows on his desk and steepled his fingers beneath his chin, looking up at the group of men standing in front of him, "You all seem highly qualified for the mission I have in mind."

The pirate captain smirked and pulled the small chest sitting on the desk towards him then opened it. The pirate barker picked up a piece of the gold and bit down on it curiously.

"That's some tasty gold." He commented with a grin only to pout slightly when his captain snatched the gold piece from his hand and put it back in the chest.

"What do you need us to do?" The pirate captain asked Zhao after closing the small chest and pushing it slightly to the side with one arm resting atop it.

Zhao smirked at the man, "I believe you're acquainted with prince Zuko."

* * *

Xiaodan landed beside Katara just as the younger girl reached the healing hut.

"Where did you go, Xia?" Katara asked curiously as she walked up the steps of the hut.

"Oh, you know, scaring Sokka like usually." Was the white-haired girl's vague response.

Katara shook her head slightly with a smile as she entered the hut where a gray-haired woman was sitting on a small platform in the middle of a large basin of water, showing the young girls sitting around her how to heal using Waterbending on a wooden dummy.

"Uhhh…Hi." Katara said somewhat reluctantly as she looked at the older woman, "Are you Yugoda?"

"Are you two here for the healing lesson?" Yugoda asked with a maternal smile on her face as she looked at the two girls.

Katara looked at the all the young girls then sighed, her tone disappointed, "I guess I am."

"I'm just here to watch, if you don't mind Master Yugoda." Xiaodan said respectfully with small bow.

"Of course, welcome, welcome both of you." Yugoda stated, her tone still motherly as she gestured for both girls to take a seat.

Xiaodan smiled at the older woman and followed Katara as the dark-haired girl walked further into the room and took seat beside her with her hands folded her lap and her glider resting behind her.

* * *

"You're moving the water around but you're not feeling the push and pull." Pakku criticized as he heated some soup with Waterbending without looking at Aang who was working with a stream of water.

"I'm trying…" Aang muttered as he continued to bend the water in front of him, sweat trickling down the side of his face.

Pakku glanced at the struggling boy out of the corner of his eye and slurped up some of the soup.

"Maybe that move is too advanced for you." Pakku commented mockingly, "Why don't you try an easier one?"

Aang scowled and slammed the water down in frustration as he glared at Pakku, who merely continued to eat his soup, unperturbed.

* * *

"Thanks for the lesson." Katara said to Yugoda after walking to stand in front of the older woman while the young girls carried out the wooden practice dummy and Xiaodan wondered over to stand beside her.

Yugoda smiled and glanced at the necklace around the girl's neck, "So, who's the lucky boy?"

"What?" Katara asked, sharing a confused look with Xiaodan then looking back at Yugoda curiously.

"Your betrothal necklace." Yugoda replied and gestured towards the blue choker around Katara's neck, "You're getting married, right?"

"Ah…no. I don't think I'm ready for that yet." Katara said in shock as she looked at the woman with wide eyes, her hand instinctively going up to touch the necklace, "My grandmother gave my mother this necklace and my mother passed it down to me."

Yugoda leaned forward and looked closer at the carving on the necklace, "I recognize that carving! I don't know why I didn't realize this sooner, you're the spitting image of Kanna!"

"Wait," Katara said in confusion as backed away slightly from the woman, "How do you know my Gran-Gran's name?"

Xiaodan shifted slightly, looking between the two interestedly just as curious to know how Yugoda knew Gran-Gran as Katara was.

"When I was about your age, I was friends with Kanna." Yugoda explained as she gave the two girls a serene smile, "She was born here in the Northern Tribe."

"Really?" Xiaodan questioned completely intrigued now and Yugoda nodded, still smiling slightly.

"She never told me…" Katara murmured, looking off the side sadly and Xiaodan put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You're grandmother had an arranged marriage with a young Waterbender." Yugoda continued in attempt to help Katara maybe understand why her grandmother never told she was from the Northern Water Tribe, "He carved that necklace for her."

"If Gran-Gran was engaged, why did she leave?" Katara asked in surprise and Xiaodan cocked her head to the side, giving the older woman a curious look.

"I don't know. That's always been a mystery to me." Yugoda replied, sounding slightly sad, "She left without saying goodbye."

* * *

"Good luck!" Iroh called out to the crew standing on the dock from the main deck and the crew bowed to him.

Iroh sighed quietly as he watched the men leave then headed back into the command tower, towards his nephew's cabin.

"The crew wanted me to wish you safe travels." Iroh said to his nephew as he walked into the dimly lit room.

"Good riddance to those traitors." Zuko snapped in reply, his arms folded tightly over his chest as he lay down on his sleeping mat and glared at the ceiling.

"It's a lovely night for a walk. Why don't you join me? It would clear your head." Iroh suggested hopefully then sighed when he got no response, "Or just stay in your room and sit in the dark. Whatever makes you happy."

Iroh left the room and headed towards the main deck, where he disembarked from the ship and headed towards the beach to enjoy the pleasant night air.

* * *

The three pirates looked around carefully then hurried onto the banished prince's ship and towards the other side where two other pirates were sitting in a small dingy with two barrels of blasting jelly. The three pirates quickly tossed down rope with hooks on the end and pulled the jelly onto the deck.

"Careful with that blasting jelly!" The pirate barker hiss when one of the crew almost dropped the blasting jelly back into the water.

The barker hurried in front of the other two pirates carrying the jelly and started to turn the metal cogwheel on the door leading into the command tower, only to freeze when the cogwheel squeaked loudly. He quickly finished opening the door and urged the other two pirates inside to place the blasting jelly inside, making a small fuse trail as they went.

* * *

Zuko jerked upright and swung his legs off his bed, looking at the door after hearing the loud squeak.

"Uncle?" He called out carefully as he got to his feet and walked over to the door, opening it and peering into the hall, "Uncle, is that you?"

Zuko jumped into the hall in a bending stance as he looked around warily for a moment then continued to walk along the halls, his hands still raised in Firebending stance.

* * *

The pirate barker quickly lit the fuse and the three rushed down the ramp and off the ship, without looking back.

* * *

Zuko looked around the navigation room curiously, rubbing the back of his head in slight confusion as he turned to walk over to the windows.

"Rawwk!"

Zuko's eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly when he saw the familiar reptile-bird that had belonged to the pirate captain. He and the reptile-bird stared at each for a moment then the animal flew away. Realization dawned on the scarred prince and his good eye widened further. An explosion rocked the ship and Zuko gasped as he spun around, just in time for a blast of fire to shoot up from the porthole.

"Ah!" He screamed as the navigation room exploded and he was sent flying out one of the windows.

Iroh spun around and his eyes widened when he saw the fire shooting into the air.

"Zuko!" He shouted and ran all the way back to the harbor, skidding to a stop when he saw the destroyed ship, "Zuko…"

* * *

Sokka smiled happily as he raced up the steps of the bridge where Princess Yue was waiting.

"Hi, Princess Yue." Sokka greeted happily as he stopped beside her, "I made you something. I carved it myself."

He showed her the roughly carved piece of wood in his hand and Yue looked at it curiously.

"It's a bear."

"Actually, it's supposed to be fish." Sokka said, slightly embarrassed as he flipped the carving around, "See, it has a fin."

"Oh…I'm sorry, I made a mistake." Yue said sadly as she turned away from Sokka, her eyes glittering with tears, "I shouldn't have asked you to come here."

Sokka stared in stunned silence as the white-haired princess raced away from him. His surprised expression morphed into an angry one and he threw the carving into the water then stomped back to where he and his friends were staying.

"How's warrior training going?" Katara asked from her sitting position on her sleeping bag as Sokka entered the room.

"That bad?" Aang asked when Sokka kicked his bag then fell face first into it.

"No, it's Princess Yue." Sokka growled angrily as he glared at the wall in front of him, causing Xiaodan, Aang, and Katara to exchange confused looks, "I don't get it, one minute she wants to go out with me, and the next she's telling me to get lost."

Sokka scowled for a moment then changed the subject as he turned to Katara, "So, how's Waterbending training?"

"Master Poophead won't teach her because she's a girl." Aang answered for the dark-haired girl as she fell face-first onto her sleeping bag with her parka's hood covering her head, a scowl on his face.

"Why don't you teach her, Aang?" Sokka suggested matter-of-factly and Xiaodan sat up from her sprawled out position in front of the three.

"That's brilliant!" She said with a laugh as she looked at the Water Tribe boy, "Sokka, you're genius."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Katara exclaimed excitedly as she sat back up and turned to face Aang, "Every night, you can teach me whatever moves you learn from Master Pakku! That way, you have someone to practice with, and I get to learn Waterbending! Everyone's happy!"

"I'm not happy." Sokka mumbled in irritation.

"Are you ever?" Xiaodan quipped with a snicker and Sokka glared at her.

"Come on, Aang." Katara said eagerly as she jumped to her feet and left the room.

Aang grinned and followed after the dark-haired girl, leaving a grumpy Sokka at the mercy of Xiaodan's teasing. The older teens sat in silence for a moment then Sokka turned his head to look at the white-haired girl.

"Hey, Xia, you're a girl, right?"

Xiaodan gave him an irritated look and Sokka quickly backtracked when he realized how his comment had sounded.

"I mean, uh, what I meant was that because you're a girl, you understand them, right?"

"I guess…" Xiaodan replied as she looked at Sokka warily, "Why? Is it about Princess Yue?"

"Well, yeah…" Sokka said then shifted uncomfortably not really sure how to ask what he wanted to.

"And, you want to know why she's acting weird?"

"Exactly!" Sokka exclaimed and rolled onto this back with a groan, covering his eyes with his arm, "I just don't understand it. I thought she liked me and now she's telling be to get lost. I seriously don't get it!"

He rolled over onto his stomach again and looked at Xiaodan almost pleadingly, "Is she just playing hard to get or something?"

Xiaodan looked at him a moment then shrugged, "I don't know, Sokka. She could just be feeling unsure about the reason why you like her or there's something else that's causing her to push you away."

"So what should I do?"

"Dunno, talk to her maybe?" Xiaodan suggested with another shrug as she raised her hands up in an unsure gesture, "Find out why she's pushing you away, something like that."

"That's really helpfully and at the same time completely not helpful at all…" Sokka grumbled as he hid his face in his arm and Xiaodan snickered at him with a shake of her head.

* * *

"Master Pakku said this move is all about sinking and floating." Aang explained as he bended some water from the canal they were standing beside in the shadow of large wall then he sent the water over to the Katara.

"I got it!" Katara exclaimed quietly in excitement as she began bending the water only to freeze as the water began swirling around her by itself.

"That was amazing!" Aang gaped, his hands on his head as he looked at Katara in shocked awe.

"That wasn't me." Katara replied, lifting her arms in confusion and the two looked up at the bridge near them, gasping when they saw Master Pakku standing there with the water hovering between his hands in a ball.

The two stare in shock and trepidation as Pakku froze the water into spikes which he dropped onto the edge of the bridge with a simple motion of his arms as he glared down at the two teens.

"I was just showing Katara a few moves." Aang tried to explain but Pakku silenced him immediately with a harsh look.

"You have disrespected me, my teachings, and my entire culture." Pakku growled angrily and Aang hung his head slightly.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"You are no longer welcome as my student." Pakku barked, cutting Aang off mid-apology then he turned and walked away, leaving Katara and Aang to stare after him in shock.

* * *

"What do you want me to do?" Chief Arnook asked as he looked at the four teens standing in front on him, Yue, Master Pakku, and four other family members, "Force Master Pakku to take Aang back as his student?"

"That would be nice, yeah." Xiaodan quipped from beside Sokka only to be shushed by her brother and Sokka.

"Yes." Katara said from in front of her three friends as she looked at the Northern Water Tribe chief pleadingly, "Please!"

"I suspect he might change his mind," Arnook began as he looked at the dark-haired girl standing before him, "If you swallow your pride and apologize to him."

"Fine." Katara agreed reluctantly and turned to face the condescending Waterbending master.

"I'm waiting, little girl." Pakku commented with a sneer, causing not only Katara to bristle at his patronizing tone but Xiaodan as well.

"No." Katara said through clenched teeth as she clenched her fists and the ice began cracking around her as her anger grew, "No way and I apologizing to a sour old man like you!"

Xiaodan jumped when two nearby pots shattered, her orange eyes widening slightly as she looked at the cracking ice, to the pots, then back to the furious Katara.

"Uh…Katara?" Aang questioned warily as he took looked at the angry dark-haired girl.

"I'll be outside if you're _man _enough to fight me." Katara challenged Pakku with her own sneer, causing Yue to gasp in shock.

Katara stalked angrily out of the Chief's temple, leaving Xiaodan, Aang, Sokka, and the Northern Water Tribe members to look after her in stunned silence.

Aang looked back at Pakku and the chief with a sheepish look on his face as he gestured over his shoulder with his thumb, "I'm sure she didn't mean that."

"Yeah, I think she did." Sokka deadpanned causing Xiaodan to snicker in amusement.

* * *

"I'm devastated to hear about Prince Zuko." Zhao said as he looked at Iroh in consoling manner as they sat across from each other with teacups in front of them, "Just…devastated."

"The Fire Lord will not pleased when he learns who was responsible." Iroh stated, looking at Zhao impassively over the rim of his teacup.

"You know who was behind the attack?"

"Yes…" Iroh replied as he angrily slammed his fist on the low table, "Pirates, we had a run-in with them awhile back. They wanted revenge."

Zhao sipped his tea and looked at Iroh curiously, "So… Have you reconsidered my offer?"

"Yes, I accept." The older man said with a slight bow of his head, "It will be an honor to serve as your general. To the Fire Nation!"

"To victory!" Zhao chorused and the two raised their teacups.

* * *

Xiaodan twirled her staff idly as she followed Katara down the palace stairs with Aang and Sokka.

"Are you crazy, Katara?" Sokka demanded as he looked at his angry sister worriedly, "You're not going to win this fight!"

"I know!" Katara replied as she took off her parka and tossed it at her brother, "I don't care!"

"You don't have to do this for me." Aang said carefully, just as worried as Sokka, "I can find another teacher."

"I'm not doing this for you!" Katara snapped as they reached the bottom of the stairs, "Someone needs to slap some sense into the guy!"

Pakku walked down then and Katara sneered at him, "So you decided to show up?"

The Waterbending master didn't reply as he walked past the four teens with his head held high.

"Aren't you going to fight?" Katara demanded as she glared at the man's retreating back.

"Go back to the healing huts with the other women where you belong." Pakku said with a dismissive wave of his hand as he continued walking away.

Katara's fist clenched and she created a water whip in her hand, using it to hit the back of Pakku's head. The master bender flinched slightly as he stopped then straightened.

"Fine. You want to learn to fight so badly? Study closely!" Pakku growled as he turned around to face Katara, bending two streams of water from nearby pools.

Katara charged towards Pakku but was knocked back when the man sent the two streams of water at her. She landed in a kneeling position, watching with slightly wide eyes as Pakku encircled them both in powerful ring of water that was slowly shrinking, forcing Katara to move closer to the master bender

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." Pakku sneered as he watched the girl inch away from the water at her back.

Katara scowled and edged away from the ring then forcefully redirected away from her, accidently sending the blast at Sokka who was knocked backwards with a yelp. Katara created another water whip and charged at Pakku, who made a wall of ice in front of him in defense. The dark-haired girl slid up the curved wall and flipped over Pakku's head, landing on one of the posts at the end of the stairs and stumbled to one knee.

Katara turned her body just in time to see Pakku melt the ice wall and send the blast of water at her, causing her eyes to widen slightly. The Southern Water Tribe bender straightened and encased her feet in ice up to calves as the water charged towards her as she redirected the blast away from her.

"You can't knock me down!" Katara shouted at Pakku in determination, her hands raised in a bending stance.

"Go, Katara!" Aang and Xiaodan shouted as some of the crowd that had gathered cheered with them.

Katara unfroze her feet and charged towards Pakku, who created another wall of ice in front of him but Katara liquefied it and began punching at the older man. Pakku dodged each of her hits easily then knocked her to the side with a blast of water, sending her into one of the pools.

Katara emerged from the water and shook her hair out, earning the approval of the gathered crowd as they cheered for the dark-haired girl. Katara then bended a round pillar of ice from the pool and began sending thin disks of ice at Pakku, the man either knocking or breaking the discs with his wrists. Pakku jerked backwards in surprise, just barely avoiding a disc that almost hit him and he turned to give Katara an irritated look.

Katara jumped out of the pool, bending a large stream of water from it as she moved to stand a few feet in front of Pakku. The dark-haired girl sent the stream of water at Pakku but he merely bended the stream around his body and made it larger then sent it charging back at Katara as she ran towards him, sending her back several feet.

Katara hung her head as she rested on her hands and knees, panting heavily for breath. The dark-haired girl lurched to her feet suddenly and caused the two ice-obelisks to topple over Master Pakku. Pakku looked up in surprise then quickly raised his hands, bending the falling ice-obelisks into a dusty mist of snow.

"Well, I'm impressed." Pakku commented as the mist cleared and he shifted back into a Waterbending stance, "You _are _an excellent Waterbender."

"But you still won't teach me, will you?"

Pakku gave her a stern look, "No."

Katara scowled and sent a wave of water at Pakku which she changed into ice a moment later. Pakku dodged the ice wave by raising himself up onto a pillar of ice, which he then liquefied as he charged towards Katara from atop it. Katara sent a powerful stream of water at the wave of water, knocking it off course as Pakku froze the stream of water and slide across it, striking Katara as he passed.

Katara gasped as she fell, her necklace flying off as she hit the ground. Pakku easily leapt of the ramp, flipping through the air as he landed on the rim of one of the pools. Katara pushed herself up and panted, her hair hanging loosely around her as she watched Pakku bend a tower of water from the pool. The older man bended the stream of water until it hovered over Katara then he froze it into shards of ice which he sent down at the dark-haired girl. Aang, Sokka, and Xiaodan stared in horror as the crowd gasped, one child even looking away in fear as Katara still-form was trapped in the flurry of frozen daggers.

Katara lifted her head and began to struggle, trying to pull her arms free of the ice daggers they were trapped between as Pakku casually strolled away from her.

"This fight is over."

"Come back here!" Katara shouted as she continued to struggle violently, "I'm not finished yet!"

"Yes, you are." Pakku replied then paused when he saw the necklace on the ground and he picked it up, "This is my necklace…"

"No, it's not!" Katara yelled angrily, "It's mine! Give it back!"

Pakku stared at the necklace in astonishment, "I made this sixty years ago for the love of my life… for Kanna."

"My Gran-Gran was supposed to marry you?" Katara asked in stunned surprise as she unfroze the ice.

* * *

Iroh walked casually down the hall of one of Zhao's ships, pausing beside one of the masked Fire Nation soldiers.

"Our plan is working perfectly." Iroh stated calmly, "Zhao doesn't suspect a thing."

Zuko removed the mask from the helmet and looked at his uncle from the corner of his eye, "You didn't have to do this."

"No nephew of mine is going to stow away on a ship without some backup." Iroh replied chidingly as he looked at his disguised nephew.

"Thank you, Uncle."

Iroh looked down the hallway when he heard a door open, "Someone's coming. Stay hidden until we get to the North Pole and the Avatar will be yours. Good luck."

Iroh continued his languid walk down the hall while Zuko replaced the helmet's mask and headed in the opposite direction.

* * *

"I carved this necklace for your grandmother when we got engaged." Pakku said quietly, his back to Katara and the others as he held the necklace in his hands, "I thought we would have a long, happy life together. I loved her."

"But she didn't love you, did she? It was an arrange marriage." Katara stated, her tone not unkind as she walked closer to Pakku, "Gran-Gran wouldn't let your tribe's stupid customs run her life. That's why she left. It must have taken a lot of courage."

Xiaodan blinked and watched as Yue ran away with tears streaming down her face.

"Go get her." Aang said to Sokka and Xiaodan pushed the Water Tribe boy to urge him after her.

Sokka hesitated a moment then ran after the white-haired princess, leaving Xiaodan and Aang to watch him go.

* * *

Later that night, Sokka walked up the stairs leading to the bridge he had met Yue on the night before where the princess was standing now.

"What do you want from me?" Yue asked in sad exasperation as Sokka walked over to her.

"Nothing." Sokka replied as she turned to face him, "I just want you to know, I think you're beautiful, and, I never thought a girl like you would even notice a guy like me."

"You don't understand." Yue said sadly as she looked at the ground.

"No, no. See that's the thing." Sokka stated with a shake of his head, "I think I do understand now. You're a Princess, and I'm…I'm just a Southern peasant."

"No, Sokka-"

"It's okay." Sokka said gently, "You don't have to say anything. I'll see you around, okay?"

He moved to walk away but Yue lurched forward and grabbed his arm, spinning him to face her. Yue placed a hand on his cheek and pressed her lips to his in a chaste kiss, pulling away a few moments later.

"Okay, now I'm really confused." Sokka said as he looked at the princess with a flabbergasted expression and held one of her hands in both of his, "_Happy_, but confused."

"I do like, a lot. But we can't be together, and not for the reason you think." Yue said, her tone sorrowful as she looked at Sokka, "It's because…I'm engaged."

The white-haired girl pulled down the furred collar of her dress, showing him the blue betrothal necklace she was wearing. Sokka recoiled and dropped her hand, staring at her with a shocked and slightly hurt expression.

"I'm sorry." Yue apologized brokenly and ran away from his again, the tears glistening in the fain light from the crescent moon as she once again left Sokka standing alone on the bridge.

* * *

Pakku watched as Aang bending a sphere of water around his body then turned it into a stream and sent it awkwardly off to the side.

"Not bad, not bad." Pakku said with a slight chuckle as the boy looked at him with a proud expression on his face, "Keep practicing and maybe you'll get it by the time you're my age."

Aang growled in annoyance and turned around, only to smile a moment later when he saw Katara coming up the stairs.

"Hey, Katara!" Aang greeted the dark-haired girl happily as he waved at her.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Pakku demanded, causing Katara to look up at him with a stricken look on her face and the older man smirked, "It's past sunrise. You're late."

Katara smiled slightly and continued forward until she was standing beside Aang.

"Good to see you here." Aang said to the girl, still grinning widely as he shifted into a bending stand.

"You, too." Katara replied with her own smile as she did the same and Pakku began his class.

* * *

Xiaodan stood beside Sokka on the bridge he and Yue had been on the night before with her hand resting consolingly on the despondent Southern Water Tribe boy's shoulder, providing the boy with the silent comfort that only an older sister could give. Two older teens watched the sun rise in silence, both of their thoughts wondering to two very different people.

* * *

"My fleet is ready." Zhao stated as he stood beside Iroh at the top of the lead ship in the Admiral's fleet, "Set a course for the Northern Water Tribe."

The captain nodded and the ships began to fire up as they prepared to set sail.

* * *

**Author's Note: Little Sokka/Xia sibling-friendship bonding in this chapter. I hope everyone liked this chapter and I hope everyone that needs to be in character isn't OOC. Anyhooties, next chapter takes place during Season 1 Episode 19: The Siege of the North, Part 1 and it will be posted on Tuesday because I'm going to be taking the extra day to write both The Siege of the North, Part 1 and Part 2 so they can be posted together, so stay tuned for that my dears!**

**PS - I'd like your guys' thoughts on if I should post the second season as a sequel to this story or if I should just continue to post chapters in this story.**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You rock and I lurves you guys!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I think Teo is absolutely adorable! I hope you like this chapter too!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Thanks, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Angel2u: **Awesome, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Thank you, sorry about there being no Zuko in the last chapter but I hope I made up for it with the Zuko moments in this chapter! Haha, you know I didn't even think about that until I read your review, so then I went back and changed the beginning slightly, so no she isn't wearing the Fire Nation clothes, but a set of Earth Kingdom clothes they bought from a small village. And you are totally right, Xia does NOT like Pakku very much. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**88dragon06: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter too!


	20. Chapter 20:The Siege of the North-Part 1

**AN: Chapter 20 takes place during Season 1 Episode 19: The Siege of the North Part 1, very exciting chapter! Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

* * *

Xiaodan watched in amusement as Katara and a young male Waterbender named Sangok face each other in a spar set up by Master Pakku, who was standing beside the white-haired Airbender.

Katara eyed her opponent with a determined expression, her lips quirked in a small smirk as Sangok looked at with a frightened expression on his face, shaking slightly.

Sangok quickly bended a sphere of water from one of the puddles at his feet and froze it, then he hurled it at Katara. The dark-haired girl caught the sphere of water between her hands, twirling with its momentum as she liquefied it then bended it into a large stream of water which she sent at Sangok. The stream crashed into Sangok, sending him into the air and Katara froze the water, trapping the boy in ice.

"Nice try, Pupil Sangok. A couple more years and you might be ready to fight a sea sponge." Pakku commented drily as he walked past a smirking Katara and unfroze the ice, causing the boy to the fall to the ground in daze, "Would anyone care for a rematch with Katara?"

Xiaodan giggled behind her hand as she looked at the tired and unamused boys sitting on the sidelines as several shook their heads.

"Katara," Pakku addressed the dark-haired girl as he walked forward until he was standing in front of her, "You've advanced for quickly than any student I've ever trained."

Katara smiled brightly up at the Waterbending master as Pakku continued his praise.

"You have proven that with fierce determination, passion, and hard work, you can accomplish anything. Raw talent alone is not enough." Pakku turned his head to look at Aang, who was playing with an airball with Momo, "Pupil Aang!"

The airball disappeared and Aang turned to look at Pakku as Momo landed on his head, "Yes, Master Pakku?"

"Care to step into the sparring circle?" Pakku asked rhetorically as he uncrossed his arms and gave Aang a stern look, "I figure since you've found time to play with house pets, you must have already mastered Waterbending."

"I wouldn't say mastered," Aang replied as he got to his feet, "But check this out."

Aang twisted his body around and bended some of the snow around him into a snowman of himself, which was promptly knocked down by Momo. Pakku and Katara looked at him with a flat expression, the Waterbending master shaking his head in disappointment and exasperation at the boy. Xiaodan clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and shook her own head at her brother's lackadaisical attitude.

* * *

"So they don't have palaces in the Southern Water Tribe?" Yue questioned interestedly as she walked across one of the bridges with Sokka walking along the railing next to her.

"Are you kidding? I grew up in a block of ice. " Sokka replied with a snort as he sat down on the ledge and rested his cheek on his fist, "It's not exactly a cultural hub."

Yue laughed and put her hand on Sokka's shoulder, causing the boy to smile up at her.

"Sokka," Yue said carefully as she removed her hand from her shoulder, "This is wrong."

"What's wrong? We're taking a walk!" Sokka protested as he spread his arms out slightly in exasperation.

"I'm engaged." Yue stated unsurely, "It just feels-"

"I know what you need." Sokka said brightly, cutting the princess off quickly, "You need to meet my good friend, Appa."

"Who?" Yue asked in confusion and Sokka grinned at her then lead her to the stables where Appa was eating a pile of seaweed.

"Appa and I go way back, don't we, boy?" Sokka asked the sky bison as he spread his arms out wide in enthusiasm only for Appa to jump on him and start to lick his face, much to Sokka's dismay, "Ah, ah, easy! Down boy! Agh! No, up!"

"Looks like you haven't been giving Appa enough attention!" Yue commented then giggled behind her hand as Sokka struggled to get out from under the ten-ton flying bison's paw.

After a few more minutes, Sokka finally managed to get Appa off of him then he helped Yue into the saddle. The young warrior grabbed Appa's reins then climbed into the saddle and sat down at the front beside the princess.

"So, how does this work?" Yue asked excitedly as she folded her legs beneath her and sat beside Sokka.

"You holding on tight?" Sokka questioned with a smirk then when Yue nodded, he said in a cool tone, "Yip…yip."

Appa growled as he took off into the sky, soaring towards the ocean.

"Oh…my…goodness…" Yue whispered, completely impressed as she peered over the saddle to look at the ocean below, "Wow, I can't believe you do this every day!"

Sokka smirked and stretched slightly, "Yeah, we pretty live up here."

"Is it always this cold in the sky?" Yue asked as she scooted closer to Sokka, who smiled.

"Not when you're with someone."

"It's beautiful up here." Yue commented as she blushed at Sokka's words.

"Yeah…" Sokka agreed and the two turned to look at each other, slowly leaning forward but Sokka's eyes went wide and he turned away at the last moment as he tried to act cool, "Woo, yeah! Ahhh, good times, good times."

Yue's blush grew brighter as the two looked away from each other and Sokka cleared his throat.

"Hey, look!" He said suddenly as he pointed forward as snow and black soot began to fall around them.

"What's happening?" Yue asked worriedly as Appa flew through the mixture of snow and soot.

"Oh no…" Sokka said in trepidation as he realized what the soot could mean and he quickly turned Appa around, heading back to the city.

* * *

Xiaodan laughed as she watched a laughing Aang roll in a circular pattern in the snow with Momo in the middle of the circle. Her laughter died down a moment later as she looked at the black snow that began to fall, not noticing the way Momo opened his mouth and caught a snowflake onto the bristle and spit it out a moment later.

"Aang, look." Xiaodan said, causing Aang to stop rolling in the snow and look up at the snowfall with a concerned face.

The two Airbenders exchanged worriedly looks then quickly got to their feet as Katara and the other students looked at the snow with wide eyes. The black snow continued to fall on the Northern Water Tribe's city, turning the water black.

* * *

"Soot."

"What?" Yue questioned, looking at Sokka as he kneeled on the ground after landing Appa on the outskirts of the city, near the shores of the North Pole seas.

"I've seen this before, right before my village was attacked." Sokka explained as he got to his feet, "It's soot mixed with snow."

"But why?"

"It's the Fire Nation." Sokka replied and Yue's expression turned concerned as she stared at his turned back, "They've closed in on the North Pole and from the looks of this stuff, I'd say there's a lot of them."

Sokka and Yue looked at the sheer amount of sooty-snow as it fell from the clouds, the princess's expression horrified.

* * *

"This will truly be one for the history books, General Iroh." Zhao commented as he stood at the top of his lead ship with Iroh at his side as the fleet sailed towards the Water Tribe, "Just think, centuries from now, people will study the great Admiral Zhao, who destroyed the last of the Water Tribe civilization. You're lucky you're here to see it."

"Be careful what you wish for, Admiral." Iroh replied tersely without looking at the condescending man, "History is not always kind to its subjects."

"I suppose you speak from experience, but rest assured." Zhao said coolly as he walked forward, "This will be nothing like your legendary failure at Ba Sing Se."

"I hope not," Iroh murmured sadly, "For your sake."

"Tell the captains to prepare for the first strike."

Iroh looked at Zhao's back for a moment then turned and walked away, back into the command tower of the lead ship as it began to break through the thick ice floes that floated in the water.

* * *

"We'll be landing soon." Iroh whispered to the still disguised Zuko as they stood in a dark hallway in the belly of lead ship, "Do you have a plan?"

"I'm working on it, Uncle." Zuko replied as he removed the mask from his helmet, the scratches and bruises from when Zhao blew up his ship still not quiet healed.

Iroh nodded and Zuko replaced the covering then the two went their separate ways again.

* * *

Sokka and Yue hurried up the steps of the palace as the citizens fled towards the town hall as two guards began beating a drum to signal the Fire Nation's approach. Yue stopped suddenly and Sokka turned to look at her in confusion.

"What's wrong? We have to go!"

"No, Sokka, wait, I can't see you anymore." Yue said sadly as she let Sokka's hand go, "Not at all."

"What?" Sokka protested as he turned fully to look at her, "We're just friends!"

"I wish we could be just friends, but I like you too much and it's too confusing to be around you." Yue responded as she looked off to the side then back at him, "I'm marrying someone else!"

"You don't love him, do you?" Sokka asked suddenly, "You don't even seem to life him."

"But I do love my people."

"You're not marrying _them_." Sokka objected, trying not to roll his eyes at the girl.

"You don't understand. I have duties to my father, to my tribe." Yue explained sadly, "I have to do this. Goodbye."

The white-haired princess quickly ran past Sokka and up the stairs, leaving him to stare after her in dismay.

* * *

"The day we have feared for so long had arrived. The Fire Nation is on our doorstep." Arnook addressed the people gathered in the palace, "It is with great sadness I call my family here before me, knowing well tha t some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe, but they will never vanish from our hearts. Now, as we approach the battle for our existence, I call upon the great spirits. Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us!"

Arnook looked at the people sitting in front of him, "I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission."

"Count me in!" Sokka called out as he stood, his expression determined.

"Sokka…" Katara said in protest as she, Aang, and Xiaodan looked up at him in confusion.

"Be warned, many of you will not return. Come forward and receive my mark, if you accept the task." Arnook said as several Water Tribe men rose and walked forward.

A young man stepped forward and Arnook painted three red lines on his forehead then he walked away, his expression slightly sorrowful. Sokka stepped forward next and the chief painted the three red lines on his forehead then Sokka walked away, glancing over his shoulder at Yue. The two stared at each other for few moments then Sokka continued walking. Yue looked away and closed her eyes, tears slipping silently down her cheeks.

* * *

Aang perched on mound of snow outside of the palace, looking out at the city with Xiaodan standing beside him, both of them gripping their staffs tightly in their hands.

"The stillness before the battle is unbearable." Arnook commented as he approached the two Airbenders and stood on Aang's other side, "Such quiet dread."

"I wasn't there when the Fire Nation attacked our people." Aang said quietly as Katara joined them, standing beside Xiaodan as Aang's expression became determined, "I'm going to make a difference this time."

Aang stood and held his staff behind his back as he looked out at the ocean. Xiaodan pursed her lips and held her staff in front of her, gripping it tightly with both hands as she nodded in agreement, silently promising to the same.

* * *

Xiaodan stood with Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Appa along with the other warriors at the wall of the city. They all looked at the thing soaring towards them in the distance and Aang squinted his eyes just as Xiaodan realized what the thing was.

"Fireball!" The white-haired girl shouted just as the ball collided with the wall, sending herself, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and several warriors flying backwards.

The damaged part of the bridge began to fall apart as another fireball was launched, this time melting a bridge in the city. Aang and Xiaodan leapt onto Appa's head and Aang grabbed the reins.

"Yip-yip!"

Appa roared and jumped into the air, flying towards the fleet of Fire Nation ships as more fireballs were launched at the city. The warriors regained themselves began helping each other back to their feet.

"Katara!" Sokka shouted worriedly after yanking his arm free of a mound of snow and he started looking for his sister.

Katara grunted as she Waterbended a mound of snow of herself and began climbing out, Sokka rushing over to help her with a relieved grinned on his face. The two siblings look upward and their eyes widened when they saw two more fireballs fly overhead.

* * *

Appa grunted as Aang guided him towards over the ocean towards a single Fire Navy ship with a determined expression on his face while Xiaodan crouched next to him, her staff held at the read in her hands.

The ship launched two fireballs towards the city followed by a third one that was launched at Appa, Aang, and Xiaodan. The white-haired girl straightened and swung her glider, Airbending the fireball away from them and into an icy cliff near the city.

"We'll take it from here, boy." Aang said as he got to his feet and snapped his glider open then he and his sister flew onto the first ship, dodging fire blast as they descended.

Xiaodan snapped her glider closed and twirled it above her head as she and Aang landed on the deck of the ship where the Firebenders were waiting for them. Aang swung his staff around and knocked the soldiers back with a gust of wind while Xiaodan ran toward the catapults, knocking several of the operators away with a slice of air.

The white-haired girl leapt onto the trebuchet then ducked when a Fire Nation soldier swung a sword at her head. She swept the man's feet out from under him with her staff then straightened, glancing over at Aang who was standing at the top of another trebuchet surrounded by the operators wielding sledgehammers.

"Whoa!" Xiaodan yelped and flipped into the air to avoid the sledgehammer that nearly broke her foot, then she scowled at the man standing in front of her and kicked him backwards.

Aang dodged the sledgehammers as the operators tried to hit him then he jumped into the air and slammed his own staff down, completely collapsing the catapult with the use of Airbending. Aang grinned in triumph as he landed on the deck followed a moment later by Xiaodan after she had successfully collapsed another trebuchet.

The two Airbenders raced towards unoccupied catapult that was already loaded with a flaming boulder and Aang stuck a sledgehammer into the launcher's chain. One of the operators charged at the two Airbenders but Xiaodan knocked him backwards with a gust of air as she and Aang jumped away from the trebuchet. The gust of air also triggered the catapult which launched the fireball up and straight into the deck, leaving a large, smoking hole in its wake.

Xiaodan laughed loudly as she and Aang raced past two of the trebuchet operates, who quickly began chasing after them. The two paused at two trebuchets, one behind them and one in front of them and Xiaodan quickly tangled their chains together then she and Aang leapt onto the catapult in front of them when a group of operators approached them. Aang grinned and slammed his foot onto the pedal, activating the catapult which caused it to lurch forward and pull the second one into it, destroying them both.

"Whoo!" Xiaodan and Aang whooped as they grinned and leapt toward another machine.

Aang grabbed a discarded sledgehammer and prepared to strike the machine when he caught sight of burly looking man glaring at him. The younger Airbender yelped and grabbed Xiaodan, jumping onto the trebuchet as the large man attempted to hit them both with two hammers with chains attached to the end.

The two dodged another blow by ducking behind one of the metal beams that supported the trebuchet only for the man to pin them to the beam when he swung the hammers and the chains wrapped around them, the two struggling to break free. Appa suddenly appeared and grabbed the large man with his paw, snapping the chain.

"Appa!" Xiaodan said happily as she and Aang tossed the chain away from them, looking over the sky bison as he dropped the man over the side of the ship and into the water below.

"Thanks for the rescue, buddy!" Aang stated as he hugged Appa's face while Xiaodan scrambled onto his head.

Their eyes widened when the ship began to shake and they looked towards an undamaged trebuchet just as it collapsed when a large spike of ice pierced straight through the hull and deck of the ship.

"Oh yeah!" Xiaodan cheered, pumping her fist into the air when she saw the dozens of Water Tribe warriors sailing towards them on boats while the Waterbenders suspended the ship using Waterbending, the entire ship being uprooted a few moments later.

Appa stood on the now sloping deck as the ruined machinery slid past them then he took off into the sky with Xiaodan and Aang on his head. Aang and Xiaodan looked towards the horizon and their eyes became huge when they saw an entire fleet sailing towards the city, the sheer amount of ships filling them both with dread.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Aang muttered in shock as he looked at large quantity of ships.

"Okay, you take the hundreds on the left and I'll take the hundreds on the right." Xiaodan joked lightly in an attempt to keep the dread she was feeling at bay.

* * *

"Men, you will be infiltrating the Fire Nation Navy." Arnook stated as he stood in front of the men that had volunteered, "That means you'll all need one of these uniforms."

The chief motioned to the young man standing at his side, wearing Fire Nation uniform with large shoulder spikes and carrying a helmet under his arm. Sokka started laughing then quickly covered his mouth, causing the other men to look at him while the young man glared over at him.

"What's your problem?" Hahn demanded angrily as he glared over at Sokka.

"Fire Navy uniforms don't look like that." Sokka replied in amusement as he pointed at the uniform.

"Of course they do." Hans retorted in irritation, "These are real uniforms captured from actual Fire Navy soldiers."

"When, like, a hundred years ago?" Sokka asked sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

"Eight-five." Arnook replied, understanding what Sokka was getting at.

Sokka walked over and flicked one of the shoulder spikes with a finger, "The Fire Nation doesn't wear shoulder spikes anymore. The newer uniforms are more streamlined."

"How do we know we can trust this guy?" Hahn demanded as he turned to growl at Sokka who shot him an angry look in return, "Such bold talk for a new recruit."

"Sokka is from our sister tribe, Hahn. He's a capable warrior and I value his input." Arnook stated and Sokka sent Hahn a smug look while the chief turned to the rest of the warriors, "Now, our first objective is to determine the identity of their commanding officer."

"His name is Zhao. Middle-aged," Sokka said as he traced imaginary sideburns on the side of his face with his fingers, "big sideburns, bigger temper…"

"Sokka, I want you tell everything you know to Hahn. Hahn, show Sokka your respect." Arnook instructed both boys then he began walking away, "I expect nothing less from my future son-in-law."

Sokka stared at Hahn, his mouth agape then he snapped it shut and narrowed his eyes, pointing at Hahn, "Princess Yue's marrying _you_?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Hahn sneered in irritation.

"Nothing." Sokka replied, turning away from the other boy, "Congratulations."

* * *

"Stop those fireballs!" Pakku ordered as he pointed at the sky as the massive Fire Navy fleet launched fireballs at the city as the sun began to set behind them.

Pakku and the other Waterbenders bended up a column of water and froze it, catching a fireball inside. The Waterbenders continued trying to stop the other incoming fireballs.

* * *

"It's almost twilight, Admiral. As your military consultant, I must advise you to halt your attack." Iroh advised as he walked closer to Zhao as the moon began to rise, "The Waterbenders draw their powers from the moon, and it is nearly full tonight. You should wait and resume the attack at daybreak."

Zhao glanced at Iroh over his shoulder then turned looked back out the window he was standing in front of, "Oh, I'm well aware of the moon problem and I am working on a solution. But for now, daybreak it is."

The lead ship dropped its anchor, the other ships doing the same a moment later as they ceased their attacks on the city.

* * *

"They've stopped firing." Yue stated as she looked over the horizon at the ship with Katara at her side.

"Aang! Xia!" Katara called out as she pointed towards Appa as the sky bison flew into the city and landed on the ground and the two girls ran towards the Air Nomads and flying bison.

Appa laid down on the ground and Aang slid off his head followed by Xiaodan.

"I can't do it…" Aang muttered, holding his head in his hands and sitting on the ground as Katara and Yue approached, "I can't do it…"

Xiaodan sat beside him and slipped her arm around his shoulder, leaning against him slightly. The white-haired Airbender only briefly glance up at Katara and Yue as they ran towards them.

"What happened?" Katara asked worriedly as she and the princess stopped in front Aang and Xiaodan.

"We must have taken out a dozen Fire Navy ships each," Aang said as he looked up at the two girls, "but there's just too many of them. Xia and I can't fight them all."

"But, you have to." Yue said pleadingly, "You're the Avatar."

"Yeah, but he's only one kid." Xiaodan retorted, feeling grouchy and tired after spending most of the day sabotaging the Fire Nation's trebuchets.

Aang buried his face in his arms and Xiaodan tightened her arm around him, resting her chin on his shoulder as Katara kneeled down on his other side in an attempt to comfort him as well as the sun slipped beneath the horizon and night fell.

* * *

Iroh walked into the room deep in the belly of Zhao's ship, looking out the door briefly then closing it behind him as he turned to face his nephew. Zuko glanced over his shoulder at his uncle then continued to wind up the rope in his hand as he prepared a small boat.

"If you're fishing for an octopus my nephew, you need a tightly woven net," Iroh said as he looked at his nephew, who was no longer in the Fire Nation uniform, "Or he will squeeze through the tiniest hole and escape."

"I don't need your wisdom right now, Uncle."

"I'm sorry. I just nag you, because, well," Iroh voice broke slightly as he stepped closer to Zuko then looked to the side with his eyes closed. "Ever since I lost my son…"

"Uncle," Zuko stated quietly as he closed his own eyes tightly, "You don't have say it."

"I think of you as my own."

Zuko turned to his uncle and his expression softened.

"I know, Uncle. We'll meet again." Zuko said as he bowed slightly and Iroh hugged him tightly for a moment then Zuko pulled away and turned back to the small dingy, "After I have the Avatar."

Zuko climbed into the boat and started to lower it to the icy water below.

"Remember your breath of fire." Iroh reminded like a worried mother as he stepped closer, "It could save your life out there."

"I will." Zuko replied, sounding surprisingly patient as he continued to lower the boat.

"And put your hood up. Keep your ears warm!"

"I'll be fine!" Zuko called back in exasperation as he lowered the boat the rest of the way.

Iroh looked down at his nephew with a worried and sad expression on his lined face.

"Be careful, my nephew."

* * *

"Let me tell you Sokka," Hahn said smugly as he and Sokka sharpened their axes against grindstones inside the warriors' base, "I've courted a lot of girls, but Yue is the finest and she comes with the most perks."

"Perks?" Sokka demanded in annoyance as he glared over at the other boy, "What does _that _mean?"

I mean, Yue's nice and everything, but the points I'll gain with the chief aren't bad either."

Sokka's eye twitched and he glared even harder at Hahn, "Princess Yue is wasted on a self-absorbed weasel like you!"

"Whoa, hang on. Why do you care?" Hahn asked with a sneer as Sokka closed his eyes sadly, "You're just a simple rube from the Southern Tribe. What would you know of the political complexities of our life?"

Hahn smirked then added condescendingly, "No offense."

Sokka gave an angry shout as he tackled the other boy and the two began rolling around the floor in a struggle.

"You're just a jerk without a soul!" Sokka growled as the two wrestled, "No offense!"

The two continued to roll across the floor tangle of limbs, pulling at each other's ponytail in fury until they were suddenly separated by Arnook.

"That's enough!" The chief boomed angrily, then glared down at Sokka, "Sokka, you're off the mission."

Sokka stared at Arnook in stunned silence, some of his hair hanging loosely around his face then he crossed his arms over his chest in anger.

"Alright, fall in men!" Hahn ordered with a smirk, "Everybody listen to what I say an we'll take out this Admiral Chō in no time!"

"It's Admiral _Zhao_!" Sokka snapped, gesturing with his arms in irritation as the other warriors followed Hahn then Sokka re-crossed his arms over his chest with an angry scowl.

* * *

Zuko navigated the small canoe through the path of ice spikes in front of the city and lifted the paddle out of the water as he watched the top of the wall carefully, drifting behind an ice spike just as a guard glanced out at the water. Zuko quickly paddled over to an ice cap near the wall then he climbed up to an ice spike, peering around it cautiously to look at the patrol walking along the wall. He turned away and began to walk back to his kayak then paused when he heard the turtle-seals barking a little bit to his left. He watched as three of them dove into a hole in the ice and his good eye widened slightly.

Zuko glanced back at the wall where the patrol was then walked over the hole, peering down into it.

"Where are they going?" He muttered to himself as he looked at his reflection, "They're coming up for air somewhere…"

The banished prince pulled down the mask covering his mouth and nose then he inhaled deeply and plunged head first into the icy water.

* * *

"The legends say the moon was the first Waterbender." Yue stated as she looked up at the moon with Aang, Katara, and Xiaodan standing beside her on the balcony, "Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves."

"I've always noticed my Waterbending is stronger at night." Katara commented as she glanced over at Yue over Aang and Xiaodan's heads then back at the moon.

"Our strength comes from the spirit of the moon. Our life comes from the spirit of the ocean." Yue explained, glancing down at the dull expressions on the two Airbenders face briefly, "They work together to keep balance."

Aang's expression suddenly brightened as an idea hit him.

"The spirits!" He exclaimed eagerly, raising his head and startling Momo, "Maybe I can find them and get their help!"

"How can you do that?" Yue asked in confused curiosity.

"That Avatar is the bridge between our world and the Spirit World." Xiaodan explained, her own excitement creeping into her voice as she straightened and looked at the princess, "Aang can talk to them!"

Yue looked at Aang, "Maybe they'll give you the wisdom to win this battle!"

"Or maybe they'll unleash a crazy amazing spirit attack on the Fire Nation!" Aang replied as he waved his arms out excitedly, causing Katara and Yue to look at him oddly while Xiaodan giggled.

Aang looked at them then let his arms drop back to his sides, his expression sheepish, "Or wisdom. That's good, too."

"The only problem is, last time you got to the Spirit World by accident." Katara said, giving Aang a worried look, "How are you going to get there this time?"

"I have an idea." Yue said suddenly the gestured for the other three to follow her, "Follow me."

Xiaodan, Aang, and Katara looked at each other briefly then followed after the girl as she lead them through the palace and into a jug-lined courtyard, where a small wooden door was located in the middle of the wall at the end.

"So, is this the way into the Spirit World?" Aang asked as he approached the door and looked at it curiously.

"No. You'll have to get there on your own." Yue said with a laugh as she leaned against the wall beside the door, "But I can take you to the most spiritual place I the entire North Pole."

Katara, Aang, and Xiaodan watched interestedly as Yue opened the small door. Xiaodan nudged Aang forward slightly and the younger Airbender stepped inside. Aang gasped in amazement as he walked into a small verdant oasis with a waterfall flowing directly behind it. Aang rushed towards the back of the oasis and began rolling around on the grass.

"I never thought I'd miss grass this much!" Aang said happily as the three girls entered the oasis.

"It's so warm here!" Katara said in amazement as the three girls stepped onto the grass, "How is that possible?"

Xiaodan laughed happily and spread her arms out, twirling around a few times before falling back into the grass beside Aang with another ecstatic laugh.

"It's the center of all spiritual energy in our land." Yue explained then she and Katara removed their coats.

Momo crawled over to the small pond in the middle of the oasis and chittered when he saw the two fish swimming around. The lemur stuck his hand in the pong and tried to grab one of the fish then froze, pulling his hand out of the pond as he looked up at Katara and Yue, who were giving him rather irritated looks. Momo chittered again and jumped quickly away from the two Water Tribe girls and over to Xiaodan, who was now sitting cross-legged in the grass.

"You're right, Yue. I can feel…something. It's so tranquil." Aang said as he walked over to the spirit gate at the base of the pond then sat down, positioning himself to meditate.

* * *

Zuko gasped as he emerged from the icy water and climbed out of the hole in the ice, lying on his back as he panted and tried to catch his breath. The scarred prince rolled onto his side and curled up slightly as he began to shiver violently until he breathed fire to warm himself back up.

"Be quiet!" Zuko snarled at the barking turtle-seals as he got to his feet.

The turtle-seals quiet down instantly as they watched Zuko walk past, pushing aside the heads of two of them. The turtle-seals resume barking a moment later and Zuko scowled slightly as he walked further into the cave, where he saw another opening where water was pouring out. Zuko inhaled deeply again then dug his foot into the wall as he tried to steady himself and made his way through the channel, where he began to crawl through it slowly.

* * *

Sokka scowled as he crouched on the floor of the warriors' base and sharpened his boomerang.

"Is something wrong, Sokka?" Arnook asked as he approached the irate teen.

"Oh, no." Sokka replied sarcastically as he glanced at the chief, "Hahn's out there on a top-secret mission while I'm here sharpening my boomerang. Everything's fine."

"Listen to me. I took you off the mission for selfish reasons." Arnook said as he looked at the young boy, "I have a special task in mind for you.

"What, you want me to scrub the barracks?" Sokka snarked angrily as he turned to look at Arnook.

"I want you to guard my daughter, Princess Yue."

Sokka rose to his feet and tried to act cool as he looked at Arnook, "Oh, sure… That-that shouldn't be too hard."

Arnook nodded once then left the base and Sokka's face fell.

* * *

Zuko gritted his teeth in determination as he continued to climb up the channel of water, slipping once before he was able to pull himself out of the channel where he floated to the surface of the water. The scarred prince gasped for breath and inhaled deeply several times until he got his breath back then he ducked his head back under the water, surveying the area. His eyes narrowed when he spotted another channel and he quickly swam towards it then he swam upward. He tried to resurface, but the surface of the water had frozen over into a thick patch of ice. Zuko pursed his lips tightly and tried to break the ice with his fists, but the ice was too thick.

He exhaled suddenly as his need for air increased and he closed his eyes for a moment then snapped them open. He pressed his upper back against the ice with his hands above his shoulders as he began heating his hands using Firebending, melting a hole in the ice. Zuko gasped as he lunged upward and into a small tunnel way in the city. The banished prince caught his breath then pulled himself from the hole and rested against the wall of the tunnel.

* * *

"Why is he sitting like that?" Yue asked quietly as she and Katara watched Aang try to meditate while Xiaodan sat in a similar position across the pond.

"He's meditating, trying to cross over into the Spirit World." Katara replied, not noticing the way Aang's face scrunched up in concentration, "It takes all his concentration."

"Is there any way we can help?" Yue questioned and Xiaodan felt her eyebrow twitch as he eyes opened slightly to look at the two chatty girls.

"How about some quiet?" Aang snapped angrily as he glared at Katara and Yue over his shoulder, "Come on, guys, I can hear every word you're saying!"

Xiaodan bit back a chuckle at the surprised and sheepish looks on the two girls face as Aang turned back to look at the pond. The white-haired Airbender cocked her head to the side as she watched her brother stare at the white and black koi fish circling each other in the water, seeming mesmerized.

Aang stared at the two fish, watching as they slowly seemed to morph into the symbols for yin and yang then his and tattoos began to glow blue-white.

"Is he okay?" Yue asked worried and Xiaodan got to her feet, leaping across the pond easily to land beside the other white-haired girl, leaning casually against one of the Spirit Gate's posts.

"He's fine." Xiaodan replied as she looked at her brother calmly, "He's crossing into the Spirit World. We just can't move his body."

"Why not?" Yue asked curiously.

"That's his way back to the physical world." Katara responded easily and Yue looked at Aang unsurely.

"Maybe we should get some help." She suggested as she began walking away.

"No, he's my friend." Katara said instantly as she smiled slightly, "I'm perfectly capable of protecting him."

"Well, aren't you a big girl now."

Xiaodan, Zuko, and Yue whirled around, Xiaodan and Katara's eyes widening when they saw Prince Zuko walking across one of the bridges.

"No…" Katara whispered in alarm and shock.

"Yes." Zuko said determined as he stopped at the edge of the bridge, "Hand him over and I won't hurt you."

Xiaodan walked out from behind the post she had been leaning against and stood beside Katara, shifting into a bending stance.

"Leave now and _I _won't hurt _you_, Firebug." Xiaodan snapped harshly as Yue hurried from the Spirit Oasis to get help.

Zuko's eyes narrowed as his gaze flickered away from Katara towards Xiaodan then he shifted into his own stance and began kicking and punching fire at both girls as he approached them. Xiaodan crossed her arms in an 'x' over her chest then slashed her arms outward, dissipating the first few fire blast with two air slices while Katara Waterbending the others away with water from the oasis pool. The two girls worked together to deflect the attacks then Xiaodan twisted her body around and swung her leg, hurling a crescent of air at the same time Katara drew water from the pond and sent the stream at Zuko while he was preparing another attack. The duel blasts of air and water pushed the scarred prince back several feet and knocked him to the ground.

"I see you've learned a new trick." Zuko addressed Katara as he got to his feet, his back to the two girls, "But I didn't come this far to lose to either of you."

He spun around and fired another blast at them, but Katara brought up a shield of water to deflect the attack while Xiaodan back-flipped away so she was standing protectively in front of Aang. The dark-haired girl then sent a powerful jet of water at Zuko, who was knocked further away when the jet collided with his body. Zuko tried to steady himself from the impact and small juts of ice formed around his feet while Katara glared at him with a determined look on her face. Water began to rise up around Zuko and encircled him as Katara began waving her arms around wildly, forming a ball of water around Zuko which she then froze.

Katara smiled triumphantly at the ice imprisoned prince and he glared at her.

"You little peasant." He snarled angrily, "You've found a master, haven't you?"

The sphere of ice began to glow orange with heat and the ground rumbled dangerously. Xiaodan and Katara watched with slightly wide eyes as the ice sphere heated up intensely then shattered. Zuko leapt forward and sent a blast of fire at Katara, but the dark-haired girl deflected the attack by encasing the fire in water. The banished prince continued sending fire blasts at her while dodging the streams of water Katara was sending back at him, drawing water from the oasis pool.

Zuko's lips curled into a snarl as he reached forward, sending a ball of fire directly at Katara's face, but the blast passed harmlessly over her shoulder as she shifted to the side. Xiaodan gasped quietly as the blast flew past Katara and straight towards her and Aang instead. The white-haired girl quickly raised her hands, catching the fireball between her hands with her own ball of air and compressed the fire as fast as she could but it still caused a small explosion that sent her flying a few feet away from Aang, who was thankfully unharmed.

Zuko kicked another blast at Katara which she dodged then she sent a stream of water at him in retaliation. Zuko managed to slip away from the water blast ad headed towards Aang, reaching one hand out to grab the young Avatar. Just as his fingers grasp Aang's collar, a strong gust of air knocked him away and threw him into the wall. Xiaodan panted heavily as she kneeled behind Aang, her hands still outstretched from her attack as Katara whipped up a large wave and sent it at Zuko, the rush of water sending the prince up the side of the cliff. Katara froze the water, encasing Zuko in ice again and he hung there limply.

* * *

Pakku stood outside the Chief's temple with two other Waterbenders, watching as the sun began to rise over the horizon, signally the start of a new day and empowering the Firebenders.

* * *

Zhao stood at the top of his ship and looked at the city wall, his hands clasped behind his back with Iroh standing slightly behind him.

"It's daybreak at last." He stated quietly as he smirked darkly, "Let's write history."

* * *

The sun's rays light up the Spirit Oasis and Zuko sharply raised his head when he felt the heat. A determined look appeared on his face and he breathed steam from his nose, quickly melting the ice keeping him pinned to the cliff wall and he landed on the ground. Zuko charged forward a few steps then thrusted his fists forward, sending a powerful blast at Katara, who had turned her back on him a moment ago.

Xiaodan shouted a warning and lurched to her feet, shoving Katara out of the way then attempted to create an air shield. It was too late however and the blast sent the already weakened white-haired girl flying several feet away. She hit the ground roughly and her head slammed against the grass ground, knocking her out cold.

Zuko swung around and sent another blast at Katara who had just gotten to her feet and the girl attempted to conjure a water shield, but like Xiaodan, she was a too late and the fire blast caused her to slam into the gate to the Spirit World, unconscious.

The smoke from the impact cleared and Zuko stood over Katara's out cold form, holding Aang by the collar.

"You rise with the moon," Zuko stated as he looked down at the unconscious dark-haired girl, "I rise with the sun."

The banished prince hefted Aang onto his shoulder and started to walk away only to pause when he walked by the white-haired girl's still body lying in the grass. He hesitated a moment and looked down at Xiaodan's face, taking note of the small amount of blood staining the grass beneath her head. Zuko pursed his lips then turned away, heading back the way he had entered the Spirit Oasis as he ignored the small amount of shame he felt welling inside his chest at injuring the girl.

* * *

The Fire Navy ships surged forward, their pointed bows breaking through the wall of ice surrounding the city and allowing Fire Nation soldiers armed with spears to rush into the city through the holes.

"The Water Tribe can try to resist the inevitable, but their city will fall today." Zhao stated coldly from the top of his ship as he watched his soldiers invade the Northern Water Tribe city.

Iroh closed his eyes and looked away, his head bowed slightly.

* * *

Katara's eyelids flicked briefly then snapped open as she regained consciousness. She sat up quickly with a gasp and began looking around in despair when she realized Aang was gone.

"Aang!" She shouted desperately as she looked around for him then gasped in horror when she saw Xiaodan lying motionless in the grass a few feet away, "Xia! Oh no!"

The dark-haired girl rushed towards the unmoving form and kneeled down beside Xiaodan just as Appa landed on the grass with Sokka and Yue.

"What happened?" Sokka asked quickly as he jumped from Appa's saddle and hurried over to his sister with Yue following him, "Where's Zuko?"

"He took Aang. He too him right out from under me and Xia." Katara answered in dismay as she rolled Xiaodan on her back then gasped when she saw the gash near Xiaodan's temple and the dried, crusting blood on one side her tanned face.

"Oh my goodness!" Yue murmured in shock, her hand going up to cover her mouth.

"Oh man," Sokka muttered as he crouched down on Xiaodan's other side and looked at his sister, "Can you healer her?"

"I hope so." Katara responded as she drew some water from the Spirit Oasis and began healing the white-haired girl's head wound.

Momo stood at the edge of the pond, his ears drooping sorrowfully as he looked at the water.

"Where did they go…" Sokka wondered worriedly as he straightened, causing Momo's ears to perk up slightly as he looked at the four teens then his ears drooped again.

* * *

Zuko he walked through a blizzard with the Avatar on his back high above the Spirit Oasis. His jaw clenched tightly as he continued ignoring the little voice, that sounded a lot like his Uncle, in his head chiding him for leaving the wounded white-haired girl to possible bleed out as he continued to trudge through the snow.

* * *

**Author's Note: Dun-dun-dun-dun! Cliffhanger! Haha, okay, I'm updating on the time instead of on Tuesday like I said I would, because I finished this chapter a lot sooner than I expected. So, don't worry, the next chapter 21 should be posted in the next 10-20 minutes, so stay tuned for that one. It will take place during Season 1 Episode 20: The Siege of the North, Part 2 (obviously). Anyhooties, I decide to just post the Season 2 chapters here instead of making a sequel because 1) you guys thought it was a better idea and 2) I'm just too damn lazy to do that anyway. Wow, I don't quite know why the past few chapters have been so short compared to the 10k+ chapters, I'm hoping the chapters in the second season will be longer, maybe… Anyhooties, I hoped everyone liked this chapter! Reviews aren't really necessary because I'll be posting the next chapter in 10-20 minutes, but they are still appreciated! Hope everyone was in character too and the whole two-on-one fight between Katara, Zuko, and Xiaodan wasn't too cliché because that would suck nuggets.**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! Your guys are completely and utterly awesome and I lurves you muchos!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Nizuna Fujieda: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and your opinion on the sequel/no-sequel was much appreciated! I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Molly Grace 16: **Thanks, it was actually inspired by watching my sister and little brother having a little sibling-bonding moment, plus I didn't really want anyone to start possibly asking if Sokka and Xia would get together, even **though this is a Zuko/OC story. Thanks for your opinion on the sequel/no-sequel thing, it is much appreciated. Hmm…that would be a good idea, I definitely wouldn't want it to seem like it came out of left field, that would suck. I do like the idea about her having a vision in the swamp…And oh my God I just had an epiphany about what her vision would be! Man, you're reviews are really good at inspiring me for upcoming chapters, thanks a bunch for that! Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**LadyAmazon: I had a teacher like Pakku once back in junior high…Sadly, I pulled a Katara after he gave me detention for explaining a problem to another student, good times, good times. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Kyuubi-Lover15: Thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far and I hope you like this chapter too!**

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: Haha, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you liked this one too!**

**Guest/Country Appaloosa: I'm going to assume you and the anon reviewer are the same because the reviews are the exact same, so I'll answer you both at the same time. Could you clarify what you mean by that? I mean, I pretty sure there are plenty of parts in the first few chapters were Xia says something original and yeah, there are also parts were I just have her say something one of the Water Tribe sibs was supposed to say but that's usually because I couldn't figure out any other way to write the chapter. Anyhooties, I'm sorry if you don't like the story and my only advice is to just not read it.**

**88draon06: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I was a little iffy on how best to have Xia handle Pakku but I figured making her a more supportive character to Katara was the best way to go. Haha, yup, a little brother-sister bonding for Sokka and Xia, inspired by my own brother and sister bonding. XD Heehee, I might add a little twist with that staff in the next chapter, that I hope you will like. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: Me either, she seemed kinda whiny to me, especially with the way she kept messing with Sokka, which was just so not cool to me. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Skipperdoodle: Awesome, I'm glad you like the story so far and yes, in the 'prologue' of the chapter, the four-year old Xia is Firebending, she's a duel-bender. I know that's an overused concept, but it was my sister's idea. Xiaodan doesn't' Firebend in the 'present' day chapters because she forgot all about as she got older, if that makes sense. There will be a better explanation in the upcoming chapters because I'm going to be expanding on Xiaodan's character more. Anyhooties, I hope you liked thi**s chapter!


	21. Chapter 21:The Siege of the North-Part 2

**AN: Chapter 21 takes place during Season 1 Episode 20: The Siege of the North Part 2, last episode of Season 1, which means we'll be heading on into Season 2 in the next chapter, so exciting! Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

**PS – **_'Dreams/Thoughts/Memories'_

* * *

'_Xiaodan smiled proudly as she stood before the Council of Elders after mastering the thirty-six levels of Airbending._

"_Pupil Xiaodan."_

_The sixteen year old girl straightened and turned to look at Elders with a serious expression on her face. _

"_Step forward, child." Monk Gyatso said and Xiaodan took a few steps forward then kneeled in front of the five High Monks._

"_Pupil Xiaodan, you have mastered the thirty-six levels of Airbending, an amazing accomplishment for one so young." Pasang praised lightly as he looked down at the young woman, "The Council of Elders are offering you a choice."_

"_A choice?" Xiaodan echoed, looking at the monks in confusion and slight worry, "I don't understand."_

"_You are a very special child, little one." Gyatso stated soothingly, "We are giving you the choice to abstain from receive the mastery tattoos."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because you are already marked, child." Monk Tashi explained and gestured towards the tattoos that already adorned the girl's face._

_Xiaodan's hand instinctively touched her forehead where small, dark brown circle that had a slightly curved like coming from the top and two other slightly curved lines came from either side of the bottom arc of the circle. Her other hand touched her left cheek where two similar line curved up from her jaw to just under her eye. The same design was inked onto her other cheek as well and she knew there were similar tattoos on the rest of her body._

"_You have had those marks since before you were brought to the Southern Air Temple by your birth father thirteen years ago." Monk Pasang stated calmly, "They are a part of you and should you choose to receive your mastery tattoos, many of them will be covered. That is why we are giving you the choice to either accept the arrow tattoos or not."_

"_Whatever your choice, you will still be recognized as a Master Airbender." Monk Gyatso added when he saw the slightly distressed look on his older charge's face, "Look deeply into yourself, Xiaodan and you will find the answer."_

_Xiaodan sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes, clearing her mind as she did as her guardian suggested. The Council of Elders waited patiently as the young girl meditated then her eyes opened slowly._

"_I will keep my markings as they are, uncovered by the mastery tattoos." She said as she got to her feet and bowed to the monks respectfully, "Something is telling me they are important."_

"_Very well." Monk Pasang replied with a small bow of his head, "Pupil Xiaodan, despite the fact that you will not have the arrow mastery tattoos, you shall be recognized as a Master Airbender by all."_

_Xiaodan bowed to the Elders again and left the council room…'_

* * *

Xiaodan's eyes flew open and sat up sharply with a gasp as she regained consciousness, her hand instantly going to her head the Spirit Oasis began to spin rapidly and she reclosed her eyes.

"Whoa, careful!"

Xiaodan groaned quietly and opened her eyes slightly, turning her head to glance at Katara who was sitting beside her and looking at her with a worried and dismayed expression.

"Zuko!" She snarled and lurched to her feet when she remembered what had happened, wobbling slightly before regaining her balance then she began to look around, "Where is that stupid, fire-breathing jerk!"

"Xia, calm down!" Katara urged as she grabbed the older girl by the shoulders, "Zuko's gone."

"Gone?" Xiaodan asked and her eyes widened then narrowed as she realized the implication in Katara's words, "He took Aang?"

Katara nodded and looked down, "I can't believe I lost him."

"You did everything you could." Sokka said as he put his hand on his sister's shoulder, "You and Xia both did and now we need to do everything we can to get him back."

Katara looked up at her brother with tears glistening in her eyes and Xiaodan stepped forward, wrapping the younger girl in a hug.

"It's okay, Katara," The older girl whispered gently, "I know you tried as hard as you could to keep him safe. If this is anyone's fault, it's mine. I shouldn't have let myself get knocked out."

Katara sniffled quietly and returned the white-haired girl's embrace then the two pulled away to look at Sokka when he started talking again.

"Zuko couldn't have gotten far. We'll find him." He stated confidently, "Aang's gonna be fine."

"Okay." Katara agreed, wiping at her eyes as she walked over to Appa and climbed into the saddle with Yue and her brother.

Xiaodan looked down at Momo, who had remained motionless on the ground and the white-haired girl crouched down, rubbing his head gently.

"You stay here, Momo, incase Aang comes back, okay?"

The lemur chittered quietly and licked her hand once then Xiaodan Airbended herself onto Appa's head, picking up the reins.

"Yip-yip!"

Appa growled and leapt into the air, heading up towards the top of the waterfall that was flowing down into the oasis. Xiaodan's eyes narrowed slightly against the blizzard that was raging in the vast frozen tundra above the Spirit Oasis, her orange eyes looking for any sign of her brother and a certain prince.

* * *

Zuko trudged through the nearly knee-high snow as the blizzard raged around him. His face was partially covered with his mask and he had pulled his hood up to protect him from the cold as he walked, the unconscious Avatar slung across his back with his tattoos still glowing.

Zuko stopped walking and surveyed the land, searching for some kind of shelter.

* * *

Aang blinked in surprise as he sat in his meditating position on a small wooden platform in swamp-like area of the Spirit World. He watched as a large white bird flew over him and he got to his feet then began wandering around. Aang stopped wandering and looked around the area curiously.

"Ohm…"

Aang turned his head in the direction of the sound and noticed a figure sitting beneath a simple wooden entranceway a several yards away from him. Aang started walking towards the figure, only to blink in surprise when he saw it was a monkey in robe.

"Hello?" Aang said, overcoming his surprise quickly, "I'm sorry to disturb you. I just really need to find the Moon and the Ocean Spirits."

"Go. Away." The monkey stated then opened one eye, "You're still here?"

"Yes, I need-"

"Ohm!" The monkey said loudly in an attempt to block Aang out then a firefly flew past him and he pointed at it, "Perhaps that thing will help you. Chase it!"

Aang ran after the firefly and the monkey shook his head, sighing in relief, "Finally."

Aang chased the firefly throughout the swamp then up into a tree where he jumped and caught the glowing insect in his hands, a delighted expression appearing on his face. He landed on a tree branch which instantly shriveled up and disappeared entirely, causing Aang to fall with an alarmed gasp as he fell into the swamp water below.

Aang landed on his back and looked up at the firefly that had managed to escape his grasp. He rolled back to his feet and reached for the firefly but it flew away again.

"Come back!" Aang shouted as he started to give chase then paused when the water around him rippled then Roku suddenly appeared as a reflection in the water.

"Hello, Aang."

"Roku!" Aang said with happy surprise as he looked down at the reflection of his past life.

* * *

Zuko trekked through the snow, keeping his head bowed slightly against the fierce winds. He took a step forward then his eyes went wide in surprise as the ice beneath his feet began cracking. The started to splinter and cave in then Zuko started running forward, his senses on high-alert as the ice continued to break around him. He was suddenly thrown off-balance by the impact of the ice caving in behind him and he was thrown several feet away and landed roughly in the snow, losing his grip on Aang and kicking up a cloud of snow.

The cloud of snow dissipated and Zuko raised his head, observing the aftermath of the cave-in where the ground was brutally broken up. The prince looked around again and nearly sighed in relief when he spotted a cave in the distance.

"Shelter." He muttered in relief as he grabbed Aang by the collar and dragged him to the cave, then tied the younger boy's hands behind his back.

* * *

"Roku, the Water Tribe's under attack." Aang said urgently to his past life, "I need to find the Ocean and Moon Spirits."

Roku's reflection suddenly popped of the water and appeared in front of Aang, "The Ocean and the Moon are ancient spirits. They crossed over the Spirit World to the mortal world very near the beginning. There is only one spirit I know of who is old enough to remember."

"Who?" Aang asked eagerly.

"The spirit's name is Koh, but he is very dangerous. They call him the Face Stealer." Roku explained and Aang gave him a horrified look, "When you speak with him, you must be very careful to show no emotion at all. Not the slightly expression, or he will steal your face."

Aang looked at Roku with an even more horrified expression then took a deep breath and nodded calming, understanding the situation.

* * *

Sokka looked at the broken up ice critically, searching for any sign of Aang and Zuko but he didn't see either of them. He turned back to face Appa and the three girls with a shake of his head and Katara's head hung in disappointment and worry.

"They must be close, there's no way Zuko could have gotten any farther on foot in this weather!" Xiaodan shouted over the wind as Sokka climbed back into the saddle and she flicked the reins, "Appa, yip-yip!"

The sky bison rumbled and slapped his tail against the ground as he leapt into the air, following the trail of broken ice.

* * *

Zuko sat in the cave and rubbed his hands together, breathing fire into them to keep warm after tying Aang up completely.

"I finally have you, but I can't get you home because of this blizzard." Zuko muttered as he stood and peered outside of the cave at the furious snow storm, "There's always something. Not that you would understand. You're like my sister. Everything always came easy to her. She's a Firebending prodigy, and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born. I don't need luck, though. I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight and that's made me strong. It's made me who I am."

* * *

Zhao watched as his soldiers invaded the city after breaching the wall from the lead ship, the ice building starting to melt from the constant blasts of fire and Waterbenders futilely tried to keep the invading army out.

"I don't need to remind you we have a time limit." Iroh stated as he stood beside Zhao, "If we don't defeat the Water Tribe before the full moon rises, they will be undefeatable."

"I assure you I have everything under control." Zhao replied calmly with a small smirk, "I intend to remove the moon as a factor."

"Remove the moon?" Iroh questioned in shock, "How?"

Hahn suddenly appeared and pointed his spear at Zhao, "Admiral Choi! Prepare to meet your fate!"

The Water Tribe boy charged at Zhao, but the Admiral merely sidestepped and tossed the boy overboard. Iroh peered over the railing and shook his head in disappoint then looked at Zhao when the man began speaking again.

"As I was saying," Zhao continued in a completely unperturbed tone, "Years ago I stumbled upon a great and powerful secret; the identity of the Moon Spirit's mortal form."

Iroh's eyes became wide, "What?"

"I was a young lieutenant serving under General Shu in the Earth Kingdom." Zhao explained haughtily, "I discovered a hidden library. Underground, in fact. I tore through scroll after scroll. One of then contain a detailed illustration, and the words 'moon' and 'ocean.' I knew then that these spirits could be found and killed…And that it was my destiny to do so."

"Zhao, the spirits are not to be trifled with!" Iroh protested angrily as he looked at the Admiral as if he had lost his mind.

"Yes, yes…" Zhao responded dismissively with a slight sneer, "I know you fear the spirits, Iroh. I've heard the rumors about your journey into the Spirit World. But the Ocean and moon gave up their immortality to become part of our world. And now they will face the consequence."

Iroh shook his head and glared at Zhao coldly.

* * *

Aang jumped from pillar to pillar towards a massive, lifeless true. He paused on one of the pillars when a large wolf spirit walked behind the tree then he continued forward, seeing the entrance to the cave Avatar Roku said the spirit Koh could be found in. Aang stared at the cave entrance warily, taking small steps towards it when he heard creepy noises. He glanced to his left when he noticed the noises weren't coming from the cave, but from another monkey spirit with his back to Aang.

"You're just a curly tailed blue nose." Aang said with a sigh of relief only to yelp in shock when the monkey turned and revealed it had no face, "Aahh!"

Aang sucked in a deep breath, as he spoke the words Roku had told, "Show no fear. Show no emotion at all."

Aang walked into the dark cave with a completely blank face.

"Hello?" He called out as he looked around, "I-I'm looking for the spirit named 'Koh.'"

Suddenly a large centipede-like body circled around him until a white face with gray painted around the eyes and red lips appeared in front of Aang.

"Welcome!" Koh greeted Aang, his voice layered and creepy sounding.

"Thank you." Aang replied with a completely blank face then he bowed.

"My old friend, the Avatar." Koh said as he shifted so his was looking at the back of Aang's head "It's been a long time."

"You know me?"

"How could I forget you?" Koh asked rhetorically as his face suddenly switched to an angry man's with thick eyebrows, a long mustache and a beard and he spoke angrily as he leaned his new face close to Aang's, "One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me! Nearly eight or nine hundred years ago."

"I didn't know that." Aang replied in a slightly confused yet serious tone as he kept his face blank watching as Koh moved away from him, "What did he or I try to kill you?"

Koh switched to a sad-looking young woman's face with long dark hair, "Oh it was something about, stealing the face of some you loved."

Aang stared up at the woman's face, not even flinching when it suddenly became angry and was switched to a baboon's with a gaping mouth as Koh laughed evilly. Aang continued to stare in one direction with a straight face as Koh circled him.

"Of course that's all behind us. Why should I hold a grudge against you for something in a past life. After all, you're a different person now." Koh stated then leaned close to whisper in Aang's ear, "You've come to me with a new face."

Aang took a deep breath as the words were whispered in his ear, but he maintained expressionless.

* * *

Zuko's eyes narrowed slightly when he saw Aang suddenly take a deep breath then he looked out at the still roaring blizzard.

"Guess, we'll be here a while…"

* * *

"Don't worry," Yue said as she tried to comfort Katara while Xiaodan directed Appa further into the blizzard, "It's like Xia said, Prince Zuko can't be getting too far in this weather."

"I'm not worried they'll get away in the blizzard." Katara replied distantly as she stared at the rapidly falling snow, "I'm worried that they won't."

"They're not going to die in this blizzard." Sokka stated with a shake of his head, "If we know anything, it's that Zuko never gives up. They'll survive, and we'll find them."

"And I'll kick Prince Firebug's butt all the way back to the Fire Nation." Xiaodan quipped, sounding only somewhat serious as she flicked Appa's reins slightly.

* * *

"It's been a long time since I've added a child's face to my collection." Koh commented off-handedly as he circled Aang again, this time with an owl's face, "So…How may I help you?"

"I need to find the moon and the ocean."

"Their spirit names are Tui and La, push and pull." Koh stated idly as he stopped circling Aang to look at his face briefly before continuing to circle, "And that had been the nature of their relationship for all time."

"Please. Help me find them." Aang said, still staring in one direction with a blank face, "An entire culture could be destroyed if I don't get their help."

"Oh, you think you need their help." Koh commented in amusement as he looked down at Aang, "Actually it's quite the other way around. Someone's going to kill them."

"What do mean?" Aang asked, looking at the demonic-like face centimeters from his own, "How can I find them and protect them?"

"You've already met them, actually." Koh replied as he switched back to his original face and moved away, "Tui and La, your moon and ocean, have always been circling each other in an eternal dance. They balance each other, push and pull, life and death, good and evil, _yin and yang._"

"The koi fish!" Aang said excitedly as he remembered the black and white koi fish constantly circling each other in the Spirit Oasis pool.

Koh reeled around to stare the now expressionless face of the young Avatar.

"I must be going now." Aang said with a slight bow and Koh receded in the shadows.

"We'll meet again."

Aang left the cave at a calm pace then hurried away once he was out of the tree. He looked down at the water, where Roku's reflection was looking back up at him.

"The spirits are in trouble, I need to get back to the physical world." Aang said urgently to his previous life.

"A friend is here to guide you back." Roku replied as his reflection was replaced by a familiar panda.

"Hei Bai!" Aang said happily as he turned to look at the giant panda, who nuzzled him affectionately.

The forest spirit rumbled as Aang jumped onto his back then the panda set off.

* * *

The Water Tribe members fled with cries of terror as a tank destroyed a totem pole. At another part of the city, two Waterbenders attempted to stop one of the tanks. They looked up at the horizon where the numerous Fire Nation ships were nearly blocking the view of the rising full moon. The Waterbenders began attacking the invading Fire Nation forcefully as the moon strengthened them and they began to try to take back their city.

"We'll be following this map to a very special location." Zhao said with a smirk, completely unperturbed by the tank that had just flown past him, "And when we get there, we're going fishing."

* * *

Hei Bai ran through the swamp with Aang on his back, stopping in front of the wooden platform Aang had been sitting on when he first arrived in the Spirit World.

"This is where I came in." Aang said in confusion as he jumped off Hei Bai's back and onto the platform, looking at the gate curiously, "But how do I get back?"

Aang turned to look at Hei Bai as the panda stood on his hind legs and blew a beam of energy at Aang, who disappeared.

"Good riddance." The odd monkey spirit said as he opened his eyes.

Hei Bai assumed his monstrous six armed form and shot and intense beam of energy from his mouth at the odd spirit, sending him flying away. Hei Bai then reverted to his original form, smiling in bear-like way.

* * *

"Momo!" Aang said excitedly when he reappeared at the Spirit Oasis and he walked toward the sleeping lemur then realizing his body was gone, "Momo…"

Aang looked at his hand then gasped when he saw they were blue, "Oh no, where's my body?"

He was suddenly surrounded by energy and he shot in the air, soaring over the icy tundra.

* * *

Katara looked at the snow below as Xiaodan continued fly Appa when a flash of light caught her eye and she turned to look.

"Look!" The dark-haired girl shouted as she pointed at the light forward into the distance, "That's got to be Aang."

Xiaodan jerked Appa's reins in the direction Katara pointed, "Appa, yip-yip!"

The sky bison rumbled as he swerved to follow the light.

"Don't worry, little brother, we're coming." Xiaodan muttered under her breath as she stared at the light determinedly.

* * *

Aang's spirit entered the cave, filling it with light as he entered his body. His eyes snapped open and he gasped quietly, looking down at the rope keeping his retrained. Aang started to struggle against his binding then rolled into a sitting position, his eyes widening when he saw Zuko standing front of him.

"Welcome back." Zuko said drily.

"Good to be back." Aang responded as he scowled at the scarred prince then he sucked in a deep breath and exhaled sharply, Airbending Zuko into a wall and propelling himself backwards out of the cave.

Aang struggled to get away only to be caught by Zuko a moment later.

"That won't be enough to escape." Zuko commented as he pulled Aang up by his collar and glared down at him.

Aang's eyes widened and he grinned, "Appa!"

The sky bison flew overhead then landed a few feet away from Zuko and Aang. Zuko tossed Aang to the side as Katara and Xiaodan leapt from Appa.

"Here for a rematch?" The scarred prince asked with a sneer as he glared at the two girls and shifted into a bending stance.

"Trust me, Zuko, it's not gonna be much of a match." Katara retorted as she bending a water shield in front of her, dissipating the fireball Zuko had sent at her.

The dark-haired girl lifted her arms, using Waterbending to launch Zuko into the air with pillar of ice then she slammed him back down.

"Aang!" Xiaodan said happily as she raced towards her brother and kneeled beside him with Sokka right behind her, "Are you okay?"

Aang looked away from the unconscious and snow-covered banished prince to look at his sister as Sokka used his boomerang to cut the rope.

"I'm fine."

"Hey, this is some quality rope." Sokka commented as he held the rope in his hand.

"We need to get to the oasis! The spirits are in trouble!" Aang said suddenly as he leapt to his feet and rushed towards Appa, Airbending himself onto the bison's head with Xiaodan and Sokka right behind him.

Aang hesitated and looked back at Zuko, "Wait, we can't just leave him here."

"Sure we can." Sokka replied easily as he motioned for Aang to hurry, "Let's go."

"No, if we leave him, he'll die." Aang said and Xiaodan sighed.

"You're right, little brother." The white-haired girl sighed again and Airbended herself out of the saddle and over to Zuko's unconscious body then she hefted him upright, slinging one of his arms over her shoulder.

"Yeah, this makes a lot of sense." Sokka snarked sarcastically as Xiaodan Airbended herself and Zuko into the saddle, "Bring the guy who's constantly trying to kill us."

"If he wanted to kill us he would have done so by now, Sokka." Xiaodan responded as Appa leapt into the air and took off back towards the Spirit Oasis, "He wants Aang alive now hand me that 'quality' rope you stuffed into your pockets."

* * *

Zhao grinned vehemently as he stood in front of the pond at the back of the oasis and he grabbed the white koi fish, Tui, from the water and placed it in a sack, smirking as the moon turned red behind him.

* * *

Pakku gasped as lost his Waterbending and fell back to the ground, his eyes going wide as the sky turned red. The other Waterbenders all stared in shock and dismay as their bending too began to disappear. They all began to run away quickly as the Fire Nation soldiers took advantage of their new weakness and started to attack them again.

* * *

Yue groaned and grabbed her head as if in pain as Appa flew towards the city, the red moon behind them.

"Are you okay?" Sokka asked her worriedly as he looked at her in concern.

"I feel faint."

"I feel it too." Aang said as he held his head in one hand, "The Moon Spirit is in trouble."

"I owe the Moon Spirit my life." Yue said suddenly and the others looked at her curiously.

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked.

"When I was born I was very sick and very weak." Yue explained quietly, "Most babies cry when they're born, but I was born as if I was asleep, my eyes closed. Our healers did everything they could. They told my mother and father I was going to die, but my father pleaded with the spirits to save me. That night, beneath the full moon, he brought me to the oasis and placed me in the pond. My dark hair turned white, I opened my eyes and began to cry, and they knew I would live. That's why my mother named me Yue, for the moon."

* * *

"I am…a legend, now!" Zhao shouted as he held the sack with the Tui inside it, "The Fire Nation will, for generations, tell stories about the great Zhao, who darkened the moon. They will call me, Zhao the Conqueror, Zhao the Moon Slayer, Zhao the Invincible!"

Momo suddenly jumped on the gloating man's head and he shouted as he tried to get the lemur off it his head.

"Ugh! Get it off, get it off!"

Momo jumped off Zhao's head and flew away, landing on Aang's arm then running up his shoulder with Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka standing behind Aang. Zhao turned to glare at the Avatar and his friends as he and his men readied themselves for a fight. Aang, Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka readied themselves as well, their eyes narrowed.

"Don't bother." Zhao stated as he held up the bag, his fist pointed at it.

"Zhao, don't!" Aang protested as he and his friends surrendered.

"It's my destiny to destroy the moon and the Water Tribe." Zhao responded, sounding almost manic.

"Destroying the moon won't hurt just the Water Tribe." Aang said as he looked at the sack where Tui was struggling faintly then towards Zhao, "It will hurt everyone, including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of the balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world."

"He is right, Zhao."

"Iroh!" Xiaodan gasped quietly, feeling a small surge of happiness at seeing the old man.

"General Iroh," Zhao commented with an unsurprised look, "Why am I not surprised by your treachery?"

"I'm not traitor, Zhao, the Fire Nation needs to the moon, too We all depend on the balance." Iroh stated as he removed the hood of his cloak then shifted into a bending stance, his tone becoming dangerous, "Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you ten-fold. Let it go now!"

Zhao looked between Iroh and the Avatar then he released the white koi back into the pond, where it began circling around the black one again as the moon returned to normal. Zhao straightened and hesitated then sent a blast of fire into the water, striking Tui. Iroh recoiled from the flames and Aang looked up at the moon as it went completely black.

Zhao looked up at the black moon until Iroh suddenly sent a fireball at him, then he was forced to the dodge the older man's attacks. Zhao dodged and countered Iroh's attacks as he retreated towards his Firebending soldiers, then he quickly escaped while Iroh was busy defeating them.

"Oh no…" Xiaodan whispered as she, Aang, Katara, and Sokka stared in disbelief then they began moving towards the water, where La was circling Tui's dead body.

Yue looked on in horror from Appa's saddle, oblivious to the fact that Zuko had escaped as she hurried towards the others.

Xiaodan stood between Iroh and Yue in front of the pond as Iroh carefully lifted the Moon Spirit's body from the water, looking down at with sadness and regret.

"There's no hope now," Yue said despondently as her eyes filled with tears, "It's over."

"No," Aang said suddenly, his eyes and arrows beginning to glow as he entered the Avatar State, "It's not over."

Aang walked into the Spirit Oasis pool, Iroh and Xiaodan reaching out to stop Katara when she stepped forward.

"No, Katara." The white-haired girl whispered quietly as she gripping the girl's arm and watched her brother carefully.

Aang stood in the middle of the pond in a meditative stand as La began to circle around him, their jaws dropping as La stopped in front of Aang and its eyes and the white spot on his head began to glow. Aang disappeared suddenly into the water and blue lightning-like energy began to expand from the oasis island into the surrounding water then the whole oasis began to light up in the same blue color as the water, the light spreading towards the whole city.

Xiaodan and the others watched in awe as energy infused water moved to the edge of the oasis with a splash and rose up to form a giant koi fish-like creature that was facing out towards the sea with Aang in the center, controlling it.

* * *

The Fire Nation soldiers gasped in shock and fear as they looked at the massive creature's sudden appearance. The Water Tribe members got on their hands and knees, pressing their foreheads against the ground as the creature moved past them while the Fire Nation soldiers prepared to attack, only to get knocked away by the creature.

Aang, controlling the massive creature, headed towards the ocean, laying waste to any Fire Nation soldiers in his path.

* * *

Zhao dropped down as he fled from the oasis after the creature had merged with the main channel leading towards the river, only to stop in his tracks when a blast of fire hit the wall in front of him.

"You're alive?" Zhao asked in disbelief as he turned to look at the banished prince he thought he had killed.

"You tried to have me killed!" Zuko snarled then attacked Zhao violently.

Zhao rolled away from the attacks and shifted into his own bending stance as Zuko leapt in front of him.

"Yes, I did." Zhao sneered as Zuko approached him while the giant energy form made its way to the ocean behind Zhao, "You're the Blue Spirit, an enemy to the Fire Nation! You freed the Avatar!"

"I had no choice." Zuko stated as he sent multiple fireballs at Zhao.

"You should have chosen to accept your failure, your disgrace." Zhao replied harshly after dissipating each blast then he removed his singed cloak, "Then at least you could have lived!"

Zhao launched a powerful blast of fire Zuko who spun away and sent his own fireball at the man. Zhao ducked and swung his leg out, sending fire from the bottom of his foot at Zuko but the prince nimbly jumped over it and ran behind Zhao.

The older man turned to face the banished prince and began attacking only for Zuko to dodge each of his attacks. Zuko lithely leapt over Zhao and blocked his next fireball with his forearm, knocking the older man's arm off to the side then Zuko shot a blast into Zhao's side, knocking him off the wall and to the tier below. Zuko jumped down a moment later.

* * *

Xiaodan kneeled beside the pond as Iroh gently laid Tui's body back into the water.

"It's too late." Katara murmured sadly as she sat beside Xiaodan and bowed her head, "It's dead."

Iroh looked off the side and blinked in surprise when he noticed the other white-haired girl being comforted by the Water Tribe boy.

"You have been touched by the Moon Spirit." He stated as he looked at the princess, "Some of its life is in you."

"Yes, you're right." Yue agreed as she looked at Iroh in understanding and got to her feet, "It gave me life, maybe I can give it back."

"No!" Sokka protested instantly as he stood and grabbed her hand, "You don't have to do that."

"It's my duty, Sokka." Yue replied gently, her eyes closing sadly.

"I won't let you!" Sokka stated firmly as he held her hand tightly in his, "Your father told me to protect you!"

"I have to do this."

Yue pulled her hand out of Sokka's and walked over to Iroh, who had picked up Tui's body again. The white-haired princess reached out, placing her hands gently on the koi fish's body which began to glow as Yue closed her eyes. The koi fish stopped glowing and Yue fell back with a soft groan, Sokka catching her limp body before she hit the ground.

"No!" Sokka cried out as he held Yue's body and pressed his hand to the side of her face, "She's gone, she's gone…"

Xiaodan pressed her hands against her mouth, her eyes glistening with tears at the pained expression on Sokka's face, the princess's limp body in his arms.

* * *

The Fire Nation ships pulled away from the destroyed wall as the blue energy seeped into the ocean then rose up into the koi fish-like creature. Aang thrusted his arms forward and the creature sent the Fire Navy ships flying away. The ships began launching fireballs at the creature, but Aang merely lifted his arms and blocked them then he swiped an arm towards the ship, cutting the top of the command tower off.

Aang had the creature raise its arms up, creating a huge wave underneath the ships then he brought his own arms down forcefully, the wave sending the ships out of the cove the Northern Water Tribe's city was located in.

* * *

Sokka held Yue's body gently in his arms, his head bowed over her as Iroh held Tui's mortal body in his hands. Sokka's eyes snapped open and he stared in shock as Yue's body faded then disappeared entirely and the koi fish's body began to glow white again.

Iroh hurriedly placed the koi back into the water and it began to swim around while the entire pond began to glow white. The white energy coalesced in the middle of the pond then it rose up into the air, forming an image of Yue.

"Goodbye, Sokka. I'll always be with you." Yue's spirit said adoringly as she floated down slightly and cupped his face, pressing her lips to his in a gently kiss then she faded away.

Sokka stared up at the moon, watching as it reappeared in the sky and relighting the world with its ethereal light.

* * *

Aang still in the embodiment of La stood in front of the Water Tribe city then looked up at the sky when he felt the moonlight. The Ocean Spirit faded into the water and moved back to the city, gently placing Aang on top of the broken wall as he left the Avatar State. La then moved back into the city's canals.

* * *

Zuko ducked and spun to the side as he avoided the blasts Zhao launched at him. Zuko sent his own powerful blast, knocking Zhao backwards. The banished prince pressed his advantage and continued to launch fireballs at Zhao until the older man fell onto his back on the bridge they were fighting on.

Zhao looked up at Zuko then his eyes widened when he saw the moon hanging high in the sky behind the younger man.

"It can't be!" He shouted in disbelief as he looked at the moon.

Zuko stared in shock as blue energy-infused water appeared on either side of the bridge above him and Zhao. The banished prince rolled out of the way quickly and got to his feet, watching in shock as the energy wrapped around Zhao in the shape of a hand and it lifted the man up. Zuko gritted his teeth then raced forward and jumped onto the edge of the bridge, holding his hand out to Zhao.

"Take my hand!" Zuko ordered and stretched his arm out, looking at the Admiral pleadingly.

Zhao stared at Zuko for a moment, his own hand outstretched then his face turned stubborn and he retracted his hand. The banished prince stared in horrified shock as Zhao was pulled beneath the water and didn't come back up.

* * *

Pakku stood on the ledge outside the Chief's temple with Katara, Aang, Sokka, Xiaodan, and Arnook as they looked out at the partially destroyed city.

"I've decided to go to the South Pole." Pakku said suddenly and Katara looked at him in surprise as he turned to face her, "Some other benders and healers want to join me. It's time we helped rebuild our sister tribe."

"What about Aang?" Katara asked in confusion as the two Waterbenders glanced over to where Aang was standing with Xiaodan and Momo several feet away, "He still needs to learn Waterbending."

Pakku smirked slightly and glanced at the girl from the corner of his eye, "Well, then he better get used to calling you _Master _Katara."

Katara's eyes went wide and she stared at the older man in shock.

* * *

Arnook stood beside Sokka as they looked up at the moon still hanging in the sky.

"The spirits gave me vision when Yue was born. I saw a beautiful, brave, young woman become the Moon Spirit." Arnook stated then sighed sadly and closed his eyes, "I knew this day would come."

"You must be proud." Sokka commented, sounding as sad as the chief.

"So proud…" Arnook agreed quietly, "And sad."

* * *

"I'm surprised Prince Zuko," Iroh stated as he stood on the raft with his nephew as they floated away from the city, "Surprised that you are not at this moment trying to capture the Avatar."

Zuko stared out at the icebergs and broken Fire Navy ships in the water and he sighed quietly.

"I'm tired."

Iroh smiled and walked over the now sitting prince, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Then you should rest." He advised fatherly, "A man needs his rest."

Iroh straightened and his nephew laid flat on his back on the raft, looking up at the sky before his eyes closed.

* * *

Aang looked out of the city with Xiaodan at his side as they stood side-by-side on the ledge. The younger Airbender turned his head slightly and blinked when he noticed Katara standing behind him with a concerned look on his face. Xiaodan glanced behind her when she saw Aang turn around at the corner of her eye and she smiled softly when she saw Katara standing there.

Xiaodan watched quietly as Katara and Aang simulanteously stepped forward and embraced each other tightly, her soft smile fading into a maternal expression. Momo chittered from beside her, causing Katara and Aang to separate and stand beside each other.

"You too, Momo." Katara stated, holding her hand out slightly the lemur.

"Come here." Aang added as he held his arm up and Momo jumped onto his shoulder then he looked at Xia and smiled at her, "You too, big sister."

The white-haired girl laughed and stepped forward to stand beside Katara, wrapped her arm around the both her and Aang, her grin widening when Sokka walked over and placed his hand on Aang's shoulder.

The four looked out at the ocean and the moon with soft smiles on their faces as Appa rose up beside the ledge. Xiaodan sighed contentedly and leaned her head slightly against Katara's as she stared up at the moon.

* * *

"Iroh is a traitor, and your brother is a failure." A man's deep voice stated, his face hidden behind a wall of fire as he stared down at the young dark-haired girl kneeling in front of him, "I have a task for you."

The girl lifted her head, her gold eyes glittering maliciously as a cold smile spread across her pretty face.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoo! Little bit of insight into Xia's past and a small explanation on why she doesn't have the arrow tattoos but is still considered a master Airbender in the beginning, which I hope is okay. Some angsty fluff between Sokka and Yue, which is **_**such **_**fun to write… Anyhooties, I hope everyone was in character and not OOC and I hope everyone liked this chapter, because it the last chapter for Season 1 and we are now, finally moving onto Season 2, so exciting! Next chapter will take place during Season 2 Episode 1: The Avatar State and it will be posted on Wednesday, so stay tuned for that!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are awesome and I lurves you all muchos!**


	22. Chapter 22: The Avatar State

**AN: Whoo! Finally going into the second season! Chapter 22 takes place during Season 2 Episode 1: The Avatar State. Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

**PS – **_'Dreams/Thoughts/Memories'_

* * *

'_Aang ran through the Southern Air Temple then paused and looked around for before continuing on towards a small broken done hut. The young Air Nomad pulled aside the red curtain in front of the hut's entrance and his eyes went wide when he saw it was the room he had found Monk Gyatso's skeleton in all those weeks ago and kneeling in front of the skeleton, was himself in the Avatar State. The personage of himself turned around and glared angrily at him while Aang just stared back in terror as the wind began whipping around him. He looked away and saw Sokka, Xiaodan, and Katara huddled behind a piece of rubble, watching as a sphere of air encased the other him who then slammed his fists together, sending Aang backwards._

_Aang gasped as he fell into the room that led into the Sanctuary in the Fire Temple where he had visited Roku on the solstice. His grey eyes became even larger as the doors unlocked and flew open, revealing personage of himself in the Avatar State. The personage suddenly breathed fire at the real Aang then made a slashing motion and melted the floor in half right under Aang, who screamed as he fell through crevice only to grunt in slight pain a moment later when he landed on the deck of a Fire Navy ship in the Northern Seas. _

_Aang stared up in awe and fear at the monstrous koi fish made of water and energy he and La created when they fused together when he was in the Avatar State during the Siege of the North appeared in front of the ship he had landed on with the personage of himself in the Avatar inside of it. The personage of himself raised his arm diagonally and the energy creature did the same, then as one they slashed their arms downward…'_

Aang gasped loudly as he jerked into a sitting position. He panted quietly for a moment then sighed deeply and hopped out of the hammock he'd been sleeping in. The young Airbender landed silently on the ground and headed towards the ladder in the room that lead up to the top deck of the Northern Water Tribe boat he and his friends were on along with Master Pakku and a few other Water Tribe members.

Xiaodan lifted her head sleepily, just catching sight of her brother as he climbed up the ladder.

"Little brother?" She muttered tiredly then rolled out of the hammock positioned underneath the one Aang had been sleeping in then headed up the ladder after her brother.

"Aang? Xia?" Katara called out quietly as she woke up and watched both Airbenders disappear above deck.

* * *

Xiaodan covered her mouth as she yawned and shuffled over to where Aang was standing by the railing of the Water Tribe ship. The white-haired girl wrapped her arm around Aang's waist when she reached him and rested her head gently against his just as Katara approached them both.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The dark-haired girl questioned compassionately as stood on Aang's other side.

"Nah, just a nightmare." Aang replied as he looked at the water and leaned into Xiaodan's side a little more, "I was in the Avatar State, but I was outside my body watching myself. It was scary… I was scary."

He closed his eyes and Katara put her hand gently on his shoulder while Xiaodan squeezed his waist in sisterly comfort.

* * *

Pakku stood in front of the four teens with a small smile on his face and he reached into the small sack in his hand, pulling out a tiny flask with crescent moon stopper attached to string and holding it up.

"Katara, I want you to have this. This amulet contains water from the Spirit Oasis." Pakku said as he handed the young master Waterbender the amulet, "The water has unique properties. Don't lose it."

"Thank you, Master Pakku." Katara replied gratefully after accepting the amulet and hugging the older man then she climbed into Appa's saddle.

"Aang," Pakku addressed the younger Airbender as he pulled out a small box filled with Waterbending scrolls and handed it to the boy, "These scrolls will help you master Waterbending. But remember, they're no substitute for a real master."

Aang grinned up at Katara as he accepted the box of scrolls and the dark-haired girl smiled back sweetly. Pakku then turned to Xiaodan and pulled out a small drawstring bag.

"Xiaodan, these oils have special properties that will darken your hair in case you ever find the need to." Pakku stated as he handed the bag to the white-haired girl, who smiled gratefully at him and bowed to him.

"Many thanks, Master Pakku." Xiaodan said as she straightened up then jumped into Appa's saddle with Katara, tucking the small bag securely away.

"Sokka…" Pakku said as he turned to the young warrior, who grinned eagerly at him and Pakku patted his shoulder, "Take care, son."

Sokka's face fell and he dejectedly walked to Appa while Pakku addressed the four teens as a whole.

"Fly straight to the Earth Kingdom base to the east of here." Pakku stated as he pointed eastward, "General Fong will provide you with an escort to Omashu. There, you will be safe to begin your Earthbending training with King Bumi."

Aang nodded then snapped Appa's reins after Sokka had sat in the saddle, "Appa, yip-yip!"

The sky bison leapt into the air with a grumble and Katara waved goodbye to Pakku.

"Say 'hi' to Gran-Gran for me!" The dark-haired girl shouted as Appa began flying in the direction of the Earth Kingdom base.

* * *

"This is what I've been missing." Iroh sighed happily as he received a relaxing massage at a resort near the Fire Nation occupied western coast of the Earth Kingdom, "Who knew floating on a piece of driftwood for three weeks with no food or water, and sea vultures waiting to pluck out your liver could make one so tense?"

Iroh turned his head slightly and looked at his unhappy nephew sitting on the floor with his back to the doorway. Iroh hopped off the table and walked over to his brooding nephew then sat down cross-legged beside him.

"I see." He said in understanding as he looked at the scarred prince, "It's the anniversary, isn't it?"

"Three years ago today, I was banished." Zuko replied softly, "I lost it all. I want it back. I want the Avatar, I want my honor, my throne. I want my father not to think I'm worthless."

"I'm sure he doesn't." Iroh said reassuringly when he saw the regretful look on Zuko's face, "Why would he banish you if he didn't care."

Zuko gave his uncle a deadpan look then got to his feet and walked away.

"Uh, that came out wrong, didn't it?" Iroh muttered, glancing over his shoulder at the two masseurs behind him and the two men merely looked at each other in confusion.

* * *

A Fire Nation ship sailed through the water while several soldiers stood in two lines on the deck and bowed low as a royal carriage was brought out. Two servants pulled the carriage's curtains apart, revealing a young, dark-haired girl with glittering gold eyes.

The girl stepped from the carriage and walked forward a few steps then motioned for the bowing soldiers to rise.

"My brother and my uncle have disgraced the Fire Lord, and have brought shame on all of us." The girl, Princess Azula, stated as she walked between the two lines of soldiers with her head held high and her hands clasped behind her back after the men had risen, "You might have mixed feelings about attacking members of the Royal Family. I understand. But I assure you, if you hesitate, I will not hesitate to bring you down."

She stared at all the men coldly then flicked her hand, "Dismissed."

The soldiers left quickly and Azula stared out at the front of the ship as the captain ran towards her.

"Princess," The captain said as stopped just behind he stopped a few feet behind her, "I'm afraid the tides will not allow us to bring the ship into the port before nightfall."

"I'm sorry, captain, but I do not know much about the tides." Azula replied in a dangerously pleasant tone as she walked over to the side of the ship and looked out at the ocean, "Can you explain something to me?"

"Of course, Your Highness."

"Do the tides command this ship?" Azula asked, still in that same dangerously pleasant tone.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." The captain said with a confused look.

"You said the tides would not allow us to bring the ship in." The princess stated then her toned sharpened harshly, "Do the tides command this ship?"

"No, princess."

"And if I were to have you thrown overboard, would the tides think twice about smashing you against the rocky shore?"

"No, princess." The captain responded worriedly as he tried not to visible gulp in fear.

"Well, then, maybe you should worry less about the tides who have already made up their minds about killing you," Azula said softly as she ran her fingers through her bangs then turned to face the captain with a furious look on her young face, "And worry more about me, who's still mulling it over."

"I'll pull us in." The captain said meekly then rushed to leave.

Azula glared darkly then her eyes narrowed dangerously in thought.

* * *

Sokka folded his arms over rim of the saddle and rested his chin on them as he looked out at the passing clouds. Xiaodan yawned and stretched languidly from beside him then let her own arms hang over the side of the saddle, her fingers threading though Appa's fur as the bison flew eastward towards the Earth Kingdom base with Aang on his head and Katara sitting at the front of the saddle.

Sokka sat up suddenly and pointed excitedly, "There it is!"

Aang pulled on Appa's reins and directed Appa towards the base and landed the sky bison in the middle of the base where an older man in his mid-thirties was waiting with several Earth Kingdom soldiers.

"Welcome, Avatar Aang," The man greeted exuberantly as the four teens hopped off Appa and began to stretch happily then he and the soldiers bowed, "I am General Fong, and welcome, to all of you great heroes. Appa, Momo, brave Sokka, the mighty Katara, and the great Xiaodan…"

"Mighty Katara?" the dark-haired girl said with a pleased look, one hand propped on her hip as she and Xiaodan smirked at each other, "I like that."

"Same here." Xiaodan agreed, her smirk widening into a grin when several fireworks went off behind them, the soldiers launching them into the air using Earthbending.

"Not bad, not bad." Sokka stated with a grin as he nodded in approval.

General Fong gestured for the four teens to follow him into the command tower at the base, leading them into a spacious discussion room near the top of the tower. The four sat down on small mat several feet in from of a large desk on a raised dais at the end of the room where General Fong sat.

"Avatar Aang, we were all amazed at the stories of how you singlehandedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole." General Fong praised the younger Airbender as he stroked his beard in thought, "I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power. It's an awesome responsibility."

Xiaodan's eyes narrowed a small amount, feeling slightly uneasy at the way the general was looking at her brother. Aang gave a small shrug of his shoulders from between the white-haired girl and Katara.

"I try not to think about it too much."

General Fong looked at Aang calmly, "Avatar, you're ready to face the Fire Lord now."

"What?" Aang asked in shock as he looked at the man like he had grown a second head, "No I'm not!"

"Are you insane?" Xiaodan demanded, obviously irritated with the general's words, "He's only mastered one element!"

"He still needs to master the other three." Katara agreed, holding her hands out in a reasoning matter.

"Why?" General Fong questioned then stated matter-of-factly as he gestured with his hand, "With the kind of power he possesses, power enough to destroy hundreds of battle ships in a matter of minutes, he could defeat the Fire Lord now!"

"But sir," Sokka responded easily, "The thing is, Aang can only do those things when he's in the Avatar State."

"See, it's this special state where-"

"I'm well aware!" General Fong cut Aang off sharply and Xiaodan bristled angrily but he continued to speak, "Your eyes and tattoos glow and you're able to summon unbelievable power. Without you, we'd be slaughtered before we even reach their shores."

General Fong stood and turned to the large map hanging on the wall behind him, tracing his finger from the base's location in the Earth Kingdom to the Fire Nation Capital.

"But with you leading the way, as the ultimate weapon, we could cut a swath right through the heart of the Fire Nation."

"Right," Aang said doubtfully, "but I don't know how to get in or out of the Avatar State, much less what to do once I'm there."

"So, it's decided then." General Fong stated as he turned around to face the four, his expression almost gleeful, "I'll help you figure out how to get into the Avatar State and then you'll face your destiny."

Xiaodan and Katara shot to their feet, both of them bristling angrily at the general's presumptuous attitude while Aang and Sokka got stood a little slower.

"No, nothing's decided." Katara snapped angrily, "We already have a plan. Aang's pursing his destiny _his_ way."

"Well, while you take your time learning the elements, the War goes on." He replied coolly, giving the two girls a cold look then he addressed Aang, "May I show you something?"

The general lead Aang over to one of the many windows without waiting for a reply and he gestured outside towards one of the buildings on the base where injured men were walking towards it slowly.

"That's the infirmary, and those soldiers are the lucky ones." General Fong stated as Aang looked at the injured men in shock, "They came back. Every day, the Fire Nation takes lives. People are _dying_, Aang! You could end it, _now_! Think about it."

Aang looked at the men outside then averted his eyes, looking off to the side unsurely. Xiaodan stepped forward then and placed her hand on Aang's shoulder, her molten orange eyes burning into the General's back as he walked away from Aang.

* * *

Azula stood on the main deck of her ship and shifted her feet slightly then began moving her arms in a circular motion, lightning beginning to crackle around her fingers. The Fire Nation princess thrusted her hand forward and fired the lightning bolt into the sky, one strand of air fall into her face.

"Almost perfect." Lo commented and her twin sister nodded.

"One hair out of place." Li finished eerily.

Azula's eyes narrowed in on the strand of hair hanging between her eyes and she pushed it away angrily.

"Almost isn't good enough!" She barked furiously then began to generate lightning again, firing it off into the distance.

* * *

Iroh awoke from his nap a start and he sat up, peering around curiously as his brows furrowed in confusion. He frowned slightly then shrugged and laid back down again, preparing to continue his nap.

* * *

Aang walked into the discussion room in the command tower at the Earth Kingdom base and stood in front of the general's desk, the night sky clearly visible from the windows in the room.

"General Fong?"

General Fong looked up then stood with a slight smile when he saw Aang standing in front of him, "Come in, Aang. Have you thought about our discussion?"

Aang hesitated a moment then looked off to the side, "I'm in. I'll fight the Fire Lord."

General Fong smiled then nodded once and Aang hurried from the meeting room, heading back to the room that he and his friends had been giving for the night.

Xiaodan smiled at Aang from her spot sitting cross-legged on her bed as he walked over to his own bed and sat down. Her smile soon disappeared when her brother folded his hands in his lap and looked down at his feet.

"I told the general I'd help him, by going into the Avatar State." Aang said suddenly and Katara and Xiaodan looked at him in shock.

"Aang, no!" Katara protested instantly as she sat up in her bed and looked at Aang in shock, "This is not the right way!"

"Why not?" Sokka asked dismissively as he rested on his own bed with his hands behind his head, "Remember when he took out the Fire Navy? He was incredible!"

"Why, Aang?" Xiaodan asked gently, her expression confused as she jumped from her bed and bounded over to sit beside Aang, curling her arm around his shoulders and he rested his head against her own shoulder but couldn't reply since Katara and Sokka were still bickering

"There's a right way to do this." Katara snipped at her brother in exasperation, "Practice, study, and discipline!"

Sokka shrugged casually, "Or just glow it up and stop that Fire Lord!"

Katara got to her feet and threw her hands in the air in surrender, "If you two meat heads want to throw away everything we've worked for, fine, go ahead and _glow it up!_"

"Katara, I'm just being realistic!" Aang cried out and jumped to his feet as the dark-haired girl went to exit the room, "I don't have time to do this the right way!"

The door slammed shut and Aang looked at it mournfully then turned to look at his sister.

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing, Xia?"

The white-haired girl pursed her lips and frowned slightly as she looked at Aang's unsure expression, finally she sighed.

"I think you should do whatever you feel is right." She replied carefully, "If that means having General Fong help you reach the Avatar State, that's okay. If it doesn't work then we'll know if it is the right way to defeat the Fire Lord or not."

Aang gave her a grateful look, but his expression was still unsure as he laid back down on his bed after Xiaodan had stood and went back to her own bunk.

* * *

"This rare chi-enhancing tea is a natural stimulant." One of the Earth Kingdom soldiers said as he dropped a white cube into a teapot the next morning then poured the tea into a cup in front of Aang, "In an ordinary warrior, it improves strength and energy ten-fold. In you, it may induce the Avatar State."

"Ten-fold energy, huh?" Aang said as picked up the cup cup while Katara, Xiaodan, and Sokka sat behind him and watched and the general sat beside him at the small, round table.

Aang drank the tea and his eyebrows twitched slightly. The group watched as he suddenly jumped up and began to spazz out. He created an air scooter and began zooming around the outdoor room they were all sitting in.

"Is it working? Is it working?" Aang asked rapidly and in a high-pitched voice as he rode his air scooter, "I can't tell! Somebody tell if I'm in the Avatar State 'cause I don't have a good view of myself! Am I talking too loud?"

"Oh yeah, it certainly gave him ten-fold energy." Xiaodan stated then doubled over with laughter.

Sokka slumped forward with his elbow on his knee and his chin resting in the palm of his hand as he watched Aang zoom around, tired out simply from watching the younger boy.

"I guess he could talk the Fire Lord to death." The young Water Tribe warrior quipped just as Aang zoomed behind him and hit a one of the pillars, falling backwards.

Xiaodan slapped her hands over her mouth to keep her laughter muffled as she stared at her brother's twitching body.

* * *

"Maybe I can shock you into the Avatar State." Sokka stated as he stood in front of Aang in the courtyard of the base with Katara and Xiaodan sitting on either side and slightly behind him after the disastrous chi-stimulating tea fiasco earlier.

"I love surprises!" Aang said eagerly and Xiaodan covered his eyes then uncovered them a few moments later, revealing Sokka towering over him with his head replaced with Momo who screeched.

Aang screamed and recoiled rapidly, nearly knocking heads with Xiaodan who was just able to move her own head out of the way. Aang gave her an apologetic look then looked at the arrow tattoos on the back of his hands.

"Still not glowing." He stated and held his hands up to show Sokka.

Sokka frowned and stepped back only to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Xiaodan, Aang, and Katara giggled quietly as the boy groaned and Momo crawled out of the top of his shirt.

* * *

"You are wearing a ceremonial piece of clothing from each of the bending nations." The oracle the general had brought in said as he stood in front of an altar with a large bowl on it while Aang stood in front of him dressed the four ceremonial pieces of clothing with Katara, Xiaodan, and Aang stood off to the side with the general, "Now I will join the four elements into the one! Water!"

The old man poured water into a bowl, then poured some dirt into the bowl.

"Earth! Fire!" He shouted and dropped a nearby torch into the bowl then took a wooden contraption and released a gust of air into the bow, "Air!"

"Four elements together as one!" The oracle exclaimed dramatically as he raised the bowl then flung the contents at Aang, coating the younger Airbender mud.

Aang looked at the gunk in annoyance, "This is just mud!"

"So…" The oracle asked, looking at Aang quizzically, "Do you feel anything?"

Aang rose a finger, which caught everyone's interested then his nose began to twitch. Xiaodan's eyes widened and she leapt into the air just as Aang gave a powerful sneeze which caused mud to fly everywhere and coat General Fong, Katara, and Sokka.

Xiaodan landed beside Katara lithely just as General Fong wiped the mud from his face.

"We have to find a way." He muttered as he stroked his beard, causing Xiaodan to roll her eyes in exasperation then cross her arms.

* * *

Iroh smiled happily as he walked into the dark, one room house he and his nephew were staying in and he carefully dumped the contents of the small satchel he was carrying onto the table, the various shells tumbling out.

"Look at these magnificent shells!" Iroh exclaimed as he held up one of the shells to show his nephew then picked up a conch shell, "I'll enjoy these keepsakes for years to come."

"We don't need any more useless things!" Zuko snapped angrily as he threw his hands in the air in exasperation at his uncle, "You forget, we have to carry everything ourselves now!"

"Hello, brother. Uncle."

Zuko whirled around and his eyes narrowed as he glared at his sister sitting in a dark corner of the room with her feet propped up on the other table in the room.

"What are you doing here?" The scarred teen snarled angrily.

"In my country, we exchange a pleasant hello before asking questions." Azula snipped in a mock-pleasant tone as she held up a shell then stood up and walked over to Zuko and Iroh, "Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?"

"Don't call me that!" Zuko hissed furiously, his fists clenched at his sides as he glared at her.

"To what do we owe this honor?" Iroh cut in quickly, even though his tone was clearly upset.

"Hmm…must be a family trait. Both of you so quick to the point." Azula mused then smirked cruelly as she shattered the shell in her hand with her fingertips, her smirk growing at the angry look Iroh sent her.

"I've come with a message from home. Father's changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. He's heard rumors of plans to overthrow him; treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can trust." Azula said then paused briefly as she looked at Zuko, "Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home."

Silence was her only response and her eyes narrowed as she glared at her older brother.

"Did you hear me?" She demanded angrily as she ran her fingers through her bangs, "You should be happy. Excited. Grateful. I just gave you great news."

"I'm sure your brother simply needs a moment." Iroh explained as he watched Azula warily.

"Don't interrupt, Uncle!" the princess snarled at the older man then looked at Zuko condescendingly, "I still haven't heard my thank you. I'm _not _a messenger. I didn't have to come all this way."

"Father regrets?" Zuko asked in surprise as he looked at his sister in shock, "He…wants me back?"

"I can see you need time to take this in." Azula commented drily as she started towards the door of the small hovel, "I'll come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening."

Zuko stared at the floor blankly as he pondered everything his sister had just said while Iroh watched him worriedly.

* * *

Xiaodan kicked her feet idly as she sat on the railing of the balcony that Aang was leaning against beside her, watching the sunset over the horizon.

"Aang?" Katara asked quietly as she approached the two Airbenders, "Can we talk about something?"

Aang looked over at her curiously and nodded, "Sure."

"Do you want me to go?" Xiaodan questioned as she began to stand and Katara shook her head, holding her hands up in a negative gesture.

"No, it's okay, you should probably stay too."

Xiaodan nodded easily and sat back down on the railing, this time straddling it so she could look at Katara and Aang.

"So you remember when we were at the air temple and you found Monk Gyatso's skeleton?" Katara asked as she looked at Aang, "It must have been so horrible and traumatic for you. I saw you get so upset that you weren't even you anymore."

Katara looked off to the side as she continued to speak then back at Aang, "I'm not saying the Avatar State doesn't have incredible and helpful power, but you have to understand…for the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary."

Xiaodan smiled at Katara then placed her hand on Aang's shoulder, drawing his attention towards her.

"She's right, little brother." The white-haired girl said quietly, "I was so worried and scared each time you've gone into the Avatar State. I wasn't scared of you, but _for_ you because I could practically feel the anger you felt in that state."

Aang looked at her and Katara for a moment then he looked at his hands hanging over the edge of the railing.

"I'm really glad you two told me that." He said softly, his tone slightly regretfully as he refused to make eye contact with either of the girls, "But I still need to do this."

Xiaodan gave him a small, sad but accepting smile and she squeezed his shoulder.

"I don't understand." Katara stated, clearly upset as she looked at Aang with wide blue eyes.

"No, you don't." Aang replied clearly as he shrugged Xiaodan's hand off his shoulder and turned to look at Katara, "Every day, more and more people die. I'm already one hundred years late. Defeating the Fire Lord is the only way to stop this war. I have to try it!"

"I can't watch you do this to yourself. I'm not coming tomorrow." Katara said sadly as she started walking away, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Aang returned, sounding just as said as he turned back to look at the sinking sun on the horizon then he glanced at Xiaodan out of the corner of his eye, "Are you going to be there tomorrow?"

"Do you want me to be there?"

Aang hesitated, biting his lip as he thought about what his sister and Katara said about being scared and worried when he was in the Avatar State.

"I-" He started then hesitated again and took a deep breath, "I think you should stay with Katara tomorrow. I don't think I want you to see me like that."

Xiaodan hopped off the ledge and hugged Aang tightly for a moment then pulled back, her hands on his shoulders.

"If you want me to stay with Katara tomorrow then I will." She said quietly as she looked him in the eyes, her own orbs shining with sisterly affection, "I'll always support whatever decisions you make, even if I think they're crazy."

Aang smiled up at her slightly, "Thanks, big sister."

Xiaodan merely smiled and the two turned to look at the sun as it finally disappeared below the horizon.

* * *

"We're going home!" Zuko stated excitedly as he packed his belongings up, "After three long years, it's unbelievable!"

Iroh stared out the window of the small house and stroked his beard thoughtfully, "It _is_ unbelievable. I have never known my brother to regret anything."

"Did you listen to Azula? Father's realized how important family is to him!" Zuko retorted in irritation, "He cares about me!"

"I care about you!" Iroh snapped back as he turned to face his obstinate uncle with his arms spread out slightly, "And if Ozai wants you back, well, I think it may not be for the reasons you imagine."

Zuko turned his back on Iroh, his shoulders tense, "You don't know how my father feels about me. You don't know anything!"

"Zuko," Iroh said softly in an attempt to placate the scarred prince, "I only meant that in our family, things are not always what they seem."

"I think you are exactly what you seem!" Zuko snarled as he whirled around to glare at his uncle, "A lazy, mistrustful, shallow old man who's always been jealous of his brother!"

Iroh watched with a sad expression on his face as Zuko stormed out of the small house and into the night, his heart hurting slightly despite knowing that his nephew often spoke before he thought.

* * *

'_Aang watched with wide eyes as the personage of him in the Avatar State rose into the air on a vortex of water then landed on the deck of Zuko's warship. The personage of Aang used Waterbending to swing the vortex around and knock the real Aang away then the personage turned to face Prince Zuko. Aang stared in horror as the personage raised its arm then slashed them downwards in a cutting motion…'_

Aang jerked into a sitting position with a small gasp and he quickly turned to look at Sokka, who was sleeping in the bed adjacent to him.

"Sokka." He whispered quietly, "Sokka, wake up."

"Huh?" Sokka mumbled tiredly as he looked at Aang over his shoulder, his hair loose from its normal ponytail.

"I don't think we should be trying to bring on the Avatar State."

"You sure?" Sokka asked, still sounding tired as he rolled onto his back to look at Aang.

"Yes." Aang said quietly.

"Okay." Sokka replied with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulder.

Aang's eyes went wide suddenly and he looked at the older boy with slight trepidation, "Do you think the general will be mad with me?"

"What can he say?" Sokka asked rhetorically as he rolled back over to go back to sleep, "You're the Avatar. Who knows better than you?"

Aang frowned slightly but mere shrugged and laid back down, his hands behind his head.

* * *

Zuko walked down the stone staircase towards the dock where he could see Azula's ship waiting, his pack slung over his shoulder.

"Wait! Don't leave without me!"

Zuko paused and turned around, smiling as he set his pack down, "Uncle! You've changed your mind."

"Family sticks together, right?" Iroh stated with a small smile as he placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder.

Zuko smiled slightly as he remembered his father resting his hand on his shoulder when he was younger. The scarred prince shook his head slightly and turned back to look at the ship again.

"We're finally going home!" He said excitedly as he resumed his descent.

Iroh frowned slightly as he looked at the ship with suspicion then he followed after his nephew.

* * *

Aang stood in front of the desk where General Fong was sitting with Sokka standing behind and slightly to the side of him, next to two Earth Kingdom soldiers.

"The thing is, I don't think we'll ever be able to trigger it on purpose." Aang told the general, his tone humble, "I guess that's it."

"You sure I can't change your mind?" The general asked calmly, his hands folded on the top of the desk.

"I'm sure." Aang replied with a small nod, "I can only reach the Avatar State when I'm in genuine danger."

"I see…I was afraid you'd say that." The general murmured as he stood up then he used Earthbending to launch the deck and part of the dais it was on at Aang, sending him soaring across the room.

"Aang!" Sokka shouted and rushed to help the younger boy, but the two soldiers standing behind him grabbed him and held him down.

The impact from the desk sent Aang crashing through the wall of the tower and flying out of the building. Aang yelped and twisted in midair, using Airbending to break his fall just before his splattered across the ground, rolling forward to avoid the desk that landed just after him. The young Airbender rolled onto his back and looked up just as the General stood in front of the hole the impact had created and he pointed at Aang.

"Men!" He shouted as he pointed at Aang, "Attack the Avatar!"

Aang's eyes went wide as several of the Earthbending soldiers surrounded him, some of them riding on ostrich-horses. The young Airbender looked up when the general jumped down and landed in the courtyard, Earthbending a small rock wave at Aang, which sent him back a little further and forced him to his feet.

"What are you doing?" Aang demanded in alarm as he looked at the general in trepidation.

"I believe we're about to get results." General Fong replied with a sly smile on his face.

The soldiers on either side of Aang Earthbended large stone coins from the ground and prepared to launch them at Aang, who looked around himself nervously. One of the soldiers launched his coin at Aang while another soldier did the same. Aang twirled out of the way, dodging the first two coins then leapt into the air parallel to the ground, passing between the next two and flying a few feet forward.

"I'm not your enemy!" Aang shouted as he looked around him cautiously with his hands raised slightly, "I won't fight you!"

The Earthbenders ignored him and sent four more earth coins at his way. Aang leapt into the air again and the coins crashed into each other with a crash, with Aang landing on top of them. Another coin was launched at him, crashing into one of the four stationary coins and sending it flying away just as Aang jumped to the ground where the coin had been standing a moment ago. Two of the stationary coins slammed together suddenly and Aang jumped up just in time so that he was positioned in the open middle of the coins. Aang yelped quietly and gritted his teeth as the coins began to roll rapidly forward.

The coins rolled towards one of the Earthbenders and he stretched his arm out, breaking the coins as soon as they touched his palm which sent Aang flying back a few feet. Aang rose woozily to his feet and shook his head to clear it then he looked around warily as he faced the rest of the soldiers and their earth coins.

* * *

Sokka glared at the two guards holding his arms then smirked and lifted his legs, stepping on the soldiers' bare feet forcefully. The soldiers' eyes go wide and they let Sokka go, falling forward in pain as the young Water Tribe warrior raced out of the room to help Aang.

* * *

Xiaodan sat cross-legged on top of the wall at the back of the base behind the command tower, her hands resting lightly on her knees as she meditated. She inhaled deeply from her nose and held it for a moment then exhaled slowly from her mouth, letting her thoughts fade until her mind was completely blank. A loud crash followed by a sharp shout startled the white-haired girl and she went tumbling off the wall, just barely catching the edge of the wall in time.

"What in the world?" She muttered as she hauled herself back onto the wall and looked towards the courtyard, where the loud crashes continued to originate from. Her eyes went wide when she heard Aang's voice followed by another crash and she ran along the wall towards the courtyard, using Airbending to run faster.

* * *

Aang gasped as he jumped into the air to avoid the four coins launched at him, leaping up to avoid the ones sent below him and the two sent from either side of him. He jumped from the holes in the coins and created his air scooter, zigzagging past several soldiers that attempted to slow him down by Earthbending rock walls in his path.

Aang rode past two soldiers on ostrich-horses and they began chasing after him. The young Airbender rode his air scooter towards the wall, scaling it quickly while the two soldiers on ostrich-horses used Earthbending to propel themselves upward. Aang's eyes went wide as the air scooter ran out of air and he began running up the wall instead, the two soldiers on ostrich-horses in hot pursuit. Aang narrowly avoided the soldiers' spears as he bent backwards and let himself fall back to the ground, while the two soldiers land on the wall and descend to the ground after him.

Aang somersaulted forward as soon as he hit the ground, avoiding the spears again and lessening the impact of his fall as he got to his feet only to yelp when he realized he was standing in the center of one of the earth coins still embedded in the ground.

"You can't run forever!" General Fong shouted as he Earthbended the coin out of the ground and pulled it towards him with Aang still in the hole.

"You can't fight forever!" Aang snapped back and jumped back just in time to avoid General Fong as he leapt forward and crushed the earth coin, causing dust to fly into the air.

* * *

Iroh watched the soldiers standing on either side of the dock cautiously as he and Zuko made their way towards the ramp of the ship where Azula was standing quietly at the top of the ramp with two more soldiers on either side of her.

"Brother! Uncle! Welcome!" Azula greeted warmly as Zuko and Iroh stopped a little bit in front of the ship's captain at the bottom of the ramp and the three bowed to each other, "I'm so glad you decided to come."

Iroh's eyes opened slightly and he looked at the soldiers suspiciously then he straightened, the two lines of soldiers fall in line behind Zuko and Iroh, closing the aisle the two had walked through a moment ago.

"Are we ready to depart, Your Highness?" The captain asked as he turned and walked forward slightly to stand at the very end of the ramp.

"Set our course for home, captain." Azula instructed sweetly.

Zuko bowed his head slightly and whispered, "Home…"

"You heard the princess!" The captain barked, raising his hand as he walked up the ramp, "Raise the anchors! We're taking the prisoners home!"

The captain's eyes went wide when he realized his mistake and he looked at Azula, whose expression when from surprised to furious in a second.

"Your Highness, I…" The captain started nervously just as Iroh narrowed his eyes and he suddenly attacked the guards, pushing them off the edge of the walkway and sending fire blasts at them.

Zuko snarled as he stomped furiously up the ramp, throwing the captain off as he stalked past him.

"You lied to me!" He shouted as he glared at his sister angrily, still standing several feet away from her on the ramp.

"Like I've never done that before." Azula retorted smugly as she turned her back on Zuko, waving her hand slightly and the two guards standing on either side of her suddenly shot fire blasts at the banished prince.

Zuko crossed his arms then spread them outward quickly, deflecting the attacks. He shouted angrily as he charged onto the ship to chase after his younger sister.

* * *

Aang cried out as he ran forward, avoiding the four earth coins that slammed into the ground behind him only to swerve sharply to continue running away from another earth coin that was rolling his way.

* * *

Katara sat on her bed with her knees pulled loosely to her chest as she stared at the wall blankly. The room suddenly shook and she frowned as she looked towards the door with Momo.

"I wonder what crazy thing they're trying to do now." She asked, looking at Momo who was sleeping on a pillow on the ground.

The lemur looked at her for a second laid his head back down and went back to the sleep. The room shook as another rumble could be heard from outside, causing Katara too look at the door worriedly again as she got to her feet.

"Maybe we should just make sure Aang's okay." She muttered and hurried out of the room, heading towards the courtyard.

* * *

Xiaodan's eyes went huge when she saw General Fong and his soldiers attacking Aang. The white-haired girl caught sight of Katara and Sokka racing down the steps of the tower towards the courtyard and she pushed off the top of the wall, using the momentum from her run as well as Airbending to propel herself towards them, somersaulting through the air.

"What in the Spirits' name is going on?!" Xiaodan all but shrieked when she landed between Sokka and Katara at the base of the two sets of stairs.

"The general's gone crazy!" Sokka replied as the three watched Aang continue to dodge the earth coins that were launched at him from both sides, "He's trying to force Aang into the Avatar State."

"Not on my watch." Xiaodan growled angrily and she ran off with Katara not far behind her while Sokka pulled out his boomerang and threw it.

The boomerang flew through the air and hit one of the soldiers, knocking him over in a daze which caused the earth coin he'd been about to Earthbend to fall over. One of the soldiers on the ostrich-horse chased Aang through the courtyard with his spear pointed at him. The soldier's brows furrowed in confusion as the head of his spear was broken off by the boomerang and the soldier looked at the broken spear in confusion as the ostrich-horse slowed down. The soldier was knocked from his ostrich-horse a second later when Katara struck him with a water-whip then she pulled the water back into her flask.

Xiaodan crouched and spun her leg out, swiping one of the Earthbenders' legs out from under him, causing the earth coin to fall away a moment later. The white-haired girl bent backwards until her hands touched the ground, dodging the earth coin that had been launched at her. Xiaodan kicked her legs into the then pushed off into the air, twisting her body around until she landed back on her feet beside Katara with her hands raised defensively against any more attacks.

"Good…bird…horse thingy…" Sokka muttered as he approached the now rider-less ostrich-horse carefully.

The ostrich-horse snorted and pawed at the ground but it let Sokka mount it then it began galloping away, leaving Katara and Xiaodan alone in the courtyard turned arena at the Earth Kingdom base. Fong

The two girls stood side-by-side as several earth coins rolled towards them before coming to a standstill and they turned to look at General Fong standing several feet in front of them.

"Maybe you can avoid me…" General Fong called over his shoulder to where Aang had managed to escape up the staircase leading into the command tower, "But they can't."

The earth coins on either side of the two girls rotated that they're flat sides faced Katara and Xiaodan then the soldiers Earthbended the coins until they formed a triangular pattern with the two girls near the point. Xiaodan scowled and sent a blast of air at General Fong at the same time Katara lashed out with a water whip, but the general merely summoned a rock wall to block both girls' attacks.

General Fong then used Earthbending to sink both girls into the ground. Katara and Xiaodan cried out in shock as they twisted around and sank knee-deep into the ground.

"We can't move!" Xiaodan shouted as she and Katara struggled to get out of the ground to no avail, "Let us go, Fong!"

"Don't hurt them!" Aang exclaimed worriedly, his fists clenching as he jumped down from the staircase and sent a gust of wind at the general, who pulled up a sheet of stone to block the attack.

General Fong dropped the earth wall then sank Xiaodan and Katara further into the ground until they were waist deep.

"Katara! No!" Sokka shouted from the back of the ostrich-horse.

He galloped towards her and Xiaodan but the general sank the creature's feet into the ground, causing Sokka to be flung over its head. Sokka slammed into the hole of one of the earth coins, groaning in pain as he dangled there.

"Stop this!" Aang yelled desperately as he jumped towards General Fong and clutched his arm pleadingly, "You have to let them go!"

"You could save them if you were in the Avatar State!" General Fong retorted as he glared down at Aang.

"I'm trying…" Aang almost bawled as he shut his eyes, tears forming at the corners, "I'm trying!"

"Aang, we're sinking!" Katara yelped frantically as she and Xiaodan twisted around again, sinking chest deep.

"I don't see glowing!" General Fong hissed demandingly as he lowered his right arm and began closing his hand into a fist, causing Katara and Xiaodan to be buried neck deep.

"Please!" Katara pleaded as Xiaodan tossed her head back-and-forth, snarling wordlessly.

Aang fell to his knees as he begged, "You don't need to do this!"

"Apparently, I do." The general responded scornfully then clenched his fist, sinking the two girls completely into the ground.

Katara cried out in fear while Xiaodan screamed in anger before they were completely buried in the ground. Aang leapt forward and attempted to save the two girls, but he was too late, they were already gone. Aang rose to his hands and knees, his shoulders shaking as his tattoos began to glow brightly.

The young Airbender turned his head face Fong with his lips curled into a snarl as he got to his feet, the Avatar State now triggered.

"It worked!" General Fong shouted triumphantly, completely oblivious to the danger he was in, "It worked!"

A powerful gust of air caused the general to shield his eyes with his hand and his triumphant expression disappeared and was replaced by one of fear as he stared at Aang in the Avatar State. Air swirled violently around Aang and then he twisted his body, performing a cutting motion that sent General Fong flying backwards from the powerful air blast. The general landed roughly on the ground and lifted his head up in time to see Aang rise up into the air on a vortex of earth and air.

* * *

Zuko snarled as he leapt onto the deck of his sister's ship and sent two fire blasts at the guards, knocking them off the ship. He spun around to face Azula, who was standing patiently several feet away with her back turned and her hands clasped behind her. Azula glanced over her shoulder and smirked at her brother condescendingly. Zuko's fists clenched and fire daggers appeared as he prepared to attack his sister.

"Zuko!" Iroh shouted from the dock where he was still attacking the guards, "Let's go!"

The former general tossed one of the guards over the edge then stepped to the side to the side to avoid another guard's attack.

Zuko ignored his uncle and charged at Azula with his fire daggers, attempting to strike her with them but the princess easily dodged all of his blows with a smirk firmly on her young face. Zuko bared his teeth as he continued to attack his sister as she continued to dodge backwards. Zuko brought his right hand down in an attempt to land another blow. However Azula blocked his attack with her forearm then grabbed his wrist with one hand and slipped her wrist against the crook of his elbow. She swung him around easily and shoved him away from her, smirking as he panted.

"You know father blames Uncle for the loss of the North Pole." Azula taunted him maliciously, her smirk widening, "And he considers you a miserable failure for not finding the Avatar! Why would he want _you_ back home, except to look you up where you can no longer embarrass him?"

Zuko snarled and conjured two fire daggers again then leapt into the air and sent a powerful fire blast at Azula using his foot. The princess smirked and jumped away, landing safely several feet away in a crouch. The banished prince charged at her as she rose to her feet, dodging the blows her furious brother attempted land on her as she backed up further.

Azula lashed out at Zuko suddenly, leaving three scratch marks on his temple which caused Zuko to fall back. The scarred prince roared and charged at Azula again, swinging his fire daggers viciously at her, but she continued to dodge and block his attacks easily as she backed up the steps leading to the command tower of the ship.

The two fighting siblings reached the top of the stairs and Azula grabbed hold of Zuko's arm and the two stare at each other silently for a few seconds then Zuko's eyes went wide with alarm as Azula smirked. She then launched blue flames at Zuko, knocking him off his feet and back down the stairs to land on the deck.

Zuko pushed himself up slightly and turned his head to look at his sister, his vision blurred from the blow as well as the light of the flames. His vision focused on Azula just as she began moving her arms in a circular motion, lightning beginning to crackle at her fingertips.

Azula sneered as she prepared to fire the lightning bolt at her brother but her attack was suddenly halted when Iroh grabbed hold of her right hand and twisted around, redirecting the lightning towards a far-off cliff side. The former general quickly twisted Azula's arm, causing her to bend backwards then Iroh kicked her off the ship roughly, causing her to land in the water with a loud splash.

Iroh rushed towards Zuko and grabbed his nephew by the arm and the two race away from the ship, heading back up the stone stairs and towards the woods.

* * *

"Avatar Aang! Can you hear me? Your friends are safe!" General Fong shouted up at Aang pleadingly then he brought Katara and Xiaodan back above ground, the two girls coughing slightly as they looked up at Aang with worried and miserable expressions on their faces.

"It was just a trick to trigger the Avatar State!" the general tried to explain as he smiled maniacally, "And it worked!"

Aang, still in the Avatar State, swiveled about on the vortex then landed on the ground forcefully, creating a powerful blast that sent dust everywhere. Xiaodan gasped and lurched towards Katara, bringing up an air shield around them both just in time to prevent them from flying backwards, like General Fong and the soldiers did. The massive dust cloud began to clear, revealing the broken ground and ruined buildings of the base.

* * *

Aang's eyes went wide as he felt his spirit slip from his body and up into the sky, where Avatar Roku's dragon was flying past with Roku sitting on its back. Aang stared down at the destroyed base in shock as his spirit self landed on Fang's back behind Roku.

Roku looked over his shoulder at Aang, his voice calm, "It's time you learned."

Fang flew higher above the dusty clouds and Aang looked around Roku, staring in confused disbelief at the many small figures floating in the distance.

"The Avatar State is a defense mechanism, designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars." Roku explained as Fang flew closer to the figures, revealing to be the past Avatars.

Aang blinked as he his mind was filled with a memory of Avatar Kyoshi standing surrounded by rocky mountain terrain. Her eyes glowed for a brief moment as she assumed a fighting stance with her fans as she used Earthbending to lift up and move two statues resembling badgermoles into the air and sent them flying.

"The glow is the combination of all your past lives, focusing their energy through your body." Roku continued to explain and Aang's memory changed to Avatar Kuruk riding atop a raft in the middle of the ocean.

Aang watched as Kuruk's eyes glowed momentarily then he raised his arms and Waterbended a huge tsunami-like wave behind him, riding the wave expertly. The memory changed again, this time to Avatar Yangchen, who was standing in a grassy field surrounded by a forest. The Airbending Avatar's eyes flashed blue-white for a moment as she swung her arms and twirled around, conjuring powerful winds around her and blowing the grassy field and forest around her violently.

"In the Avatar State, you are at your most powerful," Roku said as Fang disappeared out from under Roku and Aang, leaving them on the clouds, "Bit you are also at your most vulnerable."

"What do you mean?" Aang asked curiously.

"If you are killed in the Avatar State," Roku began as the figures of the past Avatars appeared behind him in a line in front of Aang, they're eyes glowing, "The reincarnation cycle will be broken."

Aang stared in horror as the past Avatars began to fade away in succession down the line until only he was left.

"And the Avatar will cease to exist."

Aang stared around him worriedly then blinked when he was suddenly back on Fang's back with Avatar Roku above the ruined Earth Kingdom base. Fang flew straight down, head first and passed through Aang's body and into the ground, bringing Aang's spirit back into his physical state and he left the Avatar State.

Aang groaned quietly and fell to the ground weakly as he surveyed the damage he had caused the base while in the Avatar State. His grey eyes found Xiaodan kneeling protectively above Katara, both of them unharmed and he sighed in relief.

"Aang!" Xiaodan shouted as she lurched to her feet and rushed towards her brother, falling to her knees in front of him and she pulled him into a tight hug, "Oh thank the Spirits, you're okay."

Katara approached them a moment later and wrapped her arms around both Airbenders, her head resting lightly against Aang's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Katara, Xia." Aang said quietly, his tone regretful as he embraced both girls, "I hope you never have to see me like that again."

Xiaodan opened her mouth but was cut off by General Fong's triumphant exclamation as he approached the three teens.

"Ha! Are you joking? That was almost perfect!" The general shouted then his tone turned thoughtful as he stroked his beard, "We just have to find out a way to control you when you're like that."

Xiaodan lunged to her feet, ready to strangle the ignorant fool but Aang grabbed her hand and tugged her back down beside him.

"You're out of your mind." Aang stated, his tone slightly angrily as he held Xiaodan's hand tightly in his to keep her from possibly hurting the general.

"I guess we'll figure it out on the way to the Fire Nation." General Fong continued, completely ignoring Aang's words and the threatening look Xiaodan was giving him.

Sokka suddenly rode up behind the general on the ostrich-horse and raised his club then he struck General Fong on the head, knocking him out cold.

"Anybody got a problem with that?" The Water Tribe boy asked nonchalantly as he looked at the soldiers, who shook their heads rapidly.

Xiaodan helped Aang and Katara to their feet as Sokka hopped off the ostrich-horse while three of the soldiers approached them. The soldiers bowed lowly to the four, ignoring their motionless general on the ground nearby.

"Do you still want an escort to Omashu?" The soldier in the front asked humbly after the three soldiers had straightened.

"I think we're all set." Katara replied drily as she and Xiaodan looked at the soldiers in annoyance.

The soldiers bow again and the four teens hurriedly gathered their thing from the room they had been given then they quickly left the base on Appa.

* * *

Azula stood on the porch of the main building of the village resort her uncle and brother had been staying at, her eyes narrowed as she looked at the gathered crowd with two Royal Procession guards standing behind her.

"Anyone who harbors these traitors will face the wrath of the Fire Lord!" The Fire Nation Princess snarled angrily as she held up the wanted poster with Zuko and Iroh's picture on it and she laid one hand on the balcony, sneering when the residents cowered away in fear, "There will be no place left to hide!"

* * *

Zuko and Iroh panted as they raced along the river away from the village resort, away from Azula. The two finally stop and fall to ground beside the river, catching their breath.

"I think we're safe here." Iroh said after his breathing had calmed down and he had looked around carefully, then he looked at his silent nephew.

Zuko stared at the flowing water in front of him then pulled out a small dagger and held it up, the blade reflecting the sunlight. Iroh closed his eyes sadly for a moment then watched as his nephew held the knife under his ponytail.

Zuko shut his eyes tightly and sliced his ponytail off then he held the dagger out to Iroh without looking at him as he stared at his ponytail in his hand. Iroh took the dagger and cut off his topknot, holding it in his hand. The banished prince stared at the ponytail for a moment then let it fall from his and into the river, watching as it along with his uncle's topknot float down the river.

The two kneeled quietly beside the river as the magnitude of what had just happened settled around them.

* * *

Xiaodan sat beside Aang on Appa's head, the reins in her hand while the younger Airbender rested his head against her shoulder.

"I wish you hadn't seen me like that." Aang murmured suddenly and Xiaodan glanced down at his bald head.

"I'm not." She replied, her voice just as quiet as she wrapped one arm around him, pressing a sisterly kiss to the side of his head, "Aang, the Avatar State is a part of you, a necessary part. And yes it does scare me a little, but I don't want you to ever, _ever_ think that you being in the Avatar State is going to make me care about you any less."

Aang sat quietly for a moment then tilted his head back slightly and smiled up at Xiaodan gratefully.

"Thanks, Xia."

Xiaodan smiled down at him happily then looked back at the clouds in front of her, "No problem, little brother."

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoo! This chapter is actually a little over 10k words! Anyhooties, I am so, so, **_**so**_** sorry for not updating on Wednesday, I was really focusing on my school work and it was my parents' anniversary this week too, so it's just been really busy and I couldn't find the time to actually sit down and write out this chapter. I hope this chapter was worth the wait! The next chapter will take place during Season 2 Episode 2: The Cave of Two Lovers and it will be posted on either on Monday or Tuesday, because on Monday I have to go into my school and after that I'm going to be getting my third tattoo, so I don't know if I'll be able to update on Monday. But I promise that I will try my best to continue updating every other day, so no worries and stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You rock and I lurves you all muchos!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Molly Grace 16: I'm glad you liked the last two chapters, they were fun to write. Haha, I never noticed that before either until you pointed it out, how funny. Anyhooties, you would definitely be right about Azula and Xia being mortal enemies, those two will definitely not get along AT ALL. Xiaodan is really the type of person to actually hate a person, but I think she'll make an exception for both Azula and Ozai. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter! **

**LadyAmazon: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last two chapters and I hope you like this chapter too!**

**KickButtNinjas: Er, not necessarily. I decided against posting an actual sequel and just keep posting the chapters on the original story. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**88dragon06: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last two chapters and that no one was OOC. I'm also glad you liked the little flashback for Xia because I was a little iffy about putting in the chapter at first but decided to go with it anyway, just to see what people thought. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**READandWRITE11: Awesome, I'm glad you like the story so far! I hope you liked this chapter too!**

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: Haha, nope, no Air Nomad tattoos for Xiaodan. There's actually a picture of how I imagined Xiaodan to look like on my profile, just in Air Nomad/Earth Kingdom/Fire Nation clothes instead of the armor in the pictures and the tattoos on the girl in the picture are the ones Xia has in the story. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter and I'll try to update The Girl That Can't Be Touched as soon as I find some inspiration. **

**Bridge on fire: It'll just be one big story. I think having it as a book per season would be a little confusing because someone might not read the first 'book' and get confused.**


	23. Chapter 23: The Cave of Two Lovers

**AN: Chapter 23 takes place during Season 2 Episode 2: The Cave of Two Lovers. Various POVs as usually, so enjoy lovelies!**

* * *

"You guys are gonna be done soon, right?" Sokka muttered as he floated on a large leaf past where Katara and Aang were practicing Waterbending with Momo on his stomach, "We have a lot of ground to cover if we're going to make it to Omashu today."

"What?" Katara asked sarcastically as she straightened from her fighting stance and turned slightly to look at her brother, her hands on her hips, "Like you're ready to go right now, naked guy?"

Xiaodan giggled from her sprawled out position on Appa's stomach, who was floating on his back in the river and she rolled onto her stomach to peer at her three friends.

"I could be ready in two minutes." Sokka retorted as he pushed the hair covering his eyes out of the way, "Seriously, whenever."

Katara rolled her eyes and turned back to Aang when the younger Airbender spoke.

"So, you were showing me the octopus form?"

"Right," Katara replied as she turned fully to face Aang, "Let me see your stance."

Aang assumed a defensive stance, his arms raised and his legs slightly apart. Katara considered his stance carefully then she walked over to him.

"Your arms are too far apart." The dark-haired girl stated as she ducked under Aang's right arm so she was behind him then she positioned his arms closer together, "See, if you move them closer together, you protect your center. You got it?"

"Oh, yeah…" Aang replied with cheesy grin as he blushed brightly, "Thanks."

Xiaodan giggled quietly behind her hand as she watched Aang bright red blush begin to die down as Katara walked a few feet away. The white-haired girl folded her arms on Appa's stomach then rested her chin on them, kicking her feet idly as she watched Katara and Aang practice.

"Okay, let's see what you got." Katara said as she turned back to face Aang and took a fighting stance.

Aang took a deep breath and began bending the water around him, creating a sphere of water which he transformed into eight whip-like tentacles around him. Katara smirked and started sending ice shards at Aang, who fended off the ice spikes by maneuvering the water tentacles around him. Katara took a few steps forward as she continued to throw ice shards at Aang, who continued to deflect them with the water tentacles. Suddenly, Aang lashed out with one of the tentacles and wrapped around it around the dark-haired girl's leg, gripping it firmly.

Katara looked at the tentacle in surprise and grinned proudly at Aang as Xiaodan applauded from Appa's stomach.

"You make a fine octopus, Pupil Aang." Katara said then laughed when Aang started dancing around playfully inside a large sphere of water shaped like an actual octopus.

Xiaodan chuckled lowly then cocked her head to the side when she heard what sounded like someone playing a pipa and singing. The white-haired girl tilted her head to the other side then stood up and dove into the water, swimming over to where Sokka had sat up on the large leaf he was sitting on.

"Da, da, da. Don't fall in love with the traveling girl. She'll leave you broke and brokenhearted." A man sang as he and several other people playing instruments, singing, or dancing approached the water.

Xiaodan blinked and glanced at Sokka out of the corner of her eye, a smirk appearing on her tan and tattooed face then she flipped the leave over, causing Sokka to fall into the water with a surprised yelp while Momo jumped into the air and hovered there.

The singing man stopped singing and pointed at the group with a grin, "Hey, river people!"

"We're not river people." Katara said as she spread her arms out slightly, giving the strange group of people a strange look.

"You're not?" The man with the pipa asked in puzzlement, "Well, then what kind of people are you?"

"Just…people" Aang replied with a small shrug of his shoulders, glancing to the side when Xiaodan walked over to stand beside him.

"Aren't we all, brother." The man said with a chuckle as he shook his head in amusement.

Sokka walked over to stand in front of the other three, looking at the strange people accusingly.

"Who are you?" the young warrior demanded suspiciously.

"I'm Chong and this is my wife, Lily." The man, Chong introduced as he gestured towards the woman who had been playing a flute then he gestured towards the other people in the behind him, "We're nomads, happy to go wherever the wind takes us."

Xiaodan quirked a brow when Chong suddenly strummed his pipa in a crazy fashion, her lips twitching slightly in amusement.

"You guys are nomads? That's great!" Aang said excitedly as he gestured towards himself then Xiaodan, "We're nomads!"

"Hey, me too!" Chong said happily.

"I know…" Aang replied, looking at Chong oddly, "You just said that."

"Oh…" Chong stated airily then noticed Sokka standing in front of him and his expression brightened slightly, "Nice underwear."

Xiaodan laughed loudly when Sokka pulled Momo off his head and used the lemur to cover his underwear, an embarrassed look on his face as he shuffled away.

* * *

Zuko growled as he fell out of the bushes with leaves sticking to his clothes and his back to his uncle.

"I didn't find anything to eat! I can't live like this! I wasn't meant to be a fugitive!" Zuko shouted as he threw his hands in the air and yelled at the sky, "This is impossible!"

Silence was his only response and Zuko frowned then turned around to look at his uncle, who was crouched beside a small bush with red and white flower sticking from it.

"Uncle, what are you doing?" Zuko asked in exasperation as he walked over to look at the flower his uncle was apparently so enamored with.

"You're looking at the rare white dragon bush. Its leaves make a tea so delicious, it's heartbreaking." Iroh said as he doted over the flower then he frowned thoughtfully, "That, or it's the white jade, which is poisonous."

"We need food, not tea." Zuko snapped as he rolled his eyes at his uncle and began walking away, "I'm going fishing…"

"Hmm… delectable tea?" Iroh mused then he gave the plant a suspicious look, "Or deadly poison?"

* * *

Xiaodan lounged beside Aang with her head on his stomach as he laid against Appa's side with Chong on his other side. Katara was sitting on Appa's front leg near Xiaodan's feet with Lily sitting behind her, braiding flowers into the Water Tribe girl's hair.

"Hey, Sokka." Aang greeted when the Water Tribe boy approached, the pink flower wreath on his head falling forward slightly, "You should hear some of these stories. These guys have been everywhere!"

Chong stopped strumming at his pipa and looked over at Aang and Xiaodan, "Well not everywhere, Little Arrowhead. But where we haven't been, we're heard about through stories and songs."

Aang grinned at Sokka, "They said they'll take us to see a giant night crawler."

"On the way, there's a waterfall that creates a never-ending rainbow!" One of the nomads, Moku said dreamily as he rolled onto his back with a happy smile on his face.

"Look, I have to be the wet blanket here, but since Katara is busy, I guess it's up to me." Sokka stated in exasperation, ignoring the annoyed glare his sister gave him as Lily continued to braid her hair, "We need to get to Omashu. No sidetracks, no worms, and definitely _no_ rainbows!"

"Wow, sounds like someone has a case of destination fever." Chong said in a sing-song voice as he grinned good-naturedly at Sokka, "You're worried to much about where you're going."

"You got to focus less on the _where_ and more on the _going_." Lily piped in as she tossed one hand out to the side, accidently pulling Katara's braid.

"_O. Ma. Shu!_" Sokka retorted impatiently as he enunciated each syllable, his eyebrow continuing to twitch.

"Sokka's right." Katara commented suddenly as she looked over at Aang, "We need to find King Bumi, so Aang can learn Earthbending somewhere safe."

"Sounds like you're headed to Omashu." Chong stated obliviously and Sokka smacked his forehead in frustration, causing Xiaodan to giggle manically.

"There's an old story about a secret pass right through the mountains." Chong said suddenly as he sat up slightly to look at the four teens.

Katara gave him a skeptically look, "Is this real or a legend?"

"Oh, it's a real legend. And it's as old as Earthbending itself." Chong replied then began strumming his pipa and singing, "Two lovers, forbidden from one another, the war divides their people and the mountain divides them apart. Built a path together…'

Chong stopped and scratched at his head for a moment, "Yeah, I forget the next couple of lines, but then it goes…"

"Secret tunnel! Secret tunnel! Through the mountains, secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel! Yeah!" He finished singing and a vein in Sokka's forehead began throbbing slightly in annoyance.

"I think we'll just stick with flying." Sokka grumbled, clearly unamused as he glared at the nomads, "We've dealt with the Fire Nation before. We'll be fine."

Xiaodan quirked a brow as she watched him walk away and Aang smiled at Chong.

"Yeah, thanks for the help, but Appa hates going underground." Aang said to Chong and Appa grumbled slightly, "And we need to do whatever makes Appa most comfortable…"

* * *

"I don't think Appa's comfortable!" Xiaodan shrieked as Appa dodged the fireballs being launched at them from below.

Appa roared in agreement as the group desperately tried to escape as several trebuchets launched more fireballs at the group, the sky bison narrowly managing to avoid them.

"Ahhh!" The four teens screamed in terror as Appa dodged more fireballs.

* * *

The four teens trudged past the nomads covered in ash and scorch marks and the nomads looked at them in surprise.

"Secret love cave, let's go." Sokka said, pointing forward as he walked past the nomads.

* * *

Zuko stomped back into the small clearing where he had left his uncle when he had gone fishing, the long branch he had used as a fishing pole resting against his shoulder while a tiny fish flapped about helplessly on the sharp end. Zuko's brow furrowed slightly when he saw his uncle still hunched over in front of the plant with his back to the banished prince.

"Zuko, remember that plant that I thought might be tea?" Iroh called out sheepishly without turning around to look at his nephew.

"You didn't…" Zuko groaned in exasperation.

"I did." Iroh responded then started to turn around, "And it wasn't…"

Zuko gasped and recoiled back sharply when his uncle turned around fully, revealing himself to be swollen and covered in a bright red rash.

"When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing." Iroh explained in a surprisingly calm voice as he scratched at his cheek for a moment then he stood and walked over to his nephew and showed him a branch with berries, "But look what I found. These are bacui berries, known to cure the poison of the white jade…"

Iroh's excited voice trailed off for a moment then he continued unenthusiastically, "That, or maka'ole berries that cause blindness…"

"We're not taking any more chances with these plants!" Zuko snapped angrily as he snatched the branch of berries from his uncle's hand and tossed it into the woods, "We need to get help…"

"But where are we going to go?" Iroh asked as he crouched down and began to scratch his rash vigorously, "We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom and fugitives of the Fire Nation."

Zuko folded his arms over his chest and cupped his chin in thought, "If the Earth Kingdom discovers us, they'll have us killed."

"But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we'll be turned over to Azula." Iroh added as he stood up and scratched at his arm.

The two paused and looked at each other for a moment then nodded.

"Earth Kingdom it is." Zuko muttered and walked away with Iroh trailing after him, still scratching his rash vigorously.

* * *

Xiaodan looked at the ruins of a temple on either side of the dirt road in fascination as she, her friends, and the group of nomads journeyed to the tunnels.

"How far we from the tunnels?" Sokka asked from the front of the group.

"Actually, it's not just one tunnel." Chong explained breezily and Sokka glanced over his shoulder at the older man, "The lovers didn't want anyone to find out about their love, so they built a whole labyrinth."

Sokka halted in his tracks and whirled around to stare at Chong in shock, "Labyrinth?"

"Oh, I'm sure we'll figure it out." Chong stated casually and Sokka's eye twitched slightly then the group began walking again.

"All you need to do is trust in love." Lily said dreamily as she walked alongside her husband, "According to the curse?"

"Curse?" Xiaodan questioned as she quirked a brow and skipped forward slightly so she was walking beside Aang, who was walking on Chong's other side.

Lily nodded in confirmation and Xiaodan clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth quietly. Sokka halted in his tracks once again but the others just walked past him. The Water Tribe stood there for a moment then flinched in terror.

"Curse?!" He squawked in a mixture of annoyance and fear then he rushed after the large group.

* * *

"Hey-hey!" Chong exclaimed excitedly as the group stopped in front of the dark entrance of a cave, "We're here!"

Sokka looked up at the large inscription above the cave entrance with narrowed eyes then he looked at Chong, "What exactly is this curse?"

Xiaodan rocked back on her heels and clasped her hands behind her as she looked at Chong and Lily curiously.

"The curse says that only those who trust in love can make it through the caves." Chong explained as he stared at the cave, "Otherwise, you'll be trapped in them forever."

"And die." Lily piped in with an oblivious smile.

"Oh yeah, and die." Chong agreed then his expression brightened, "Hey, I just remembered the rest of that song!"

The four teens watched as the older man walked closer to the cave entrance and started strumming his pipa.

"And die!" He sang in an ominously low voice.

"That's it!" Sokka exclaimed as he threw his hands in the air, "There's no way we're going through some cursed hole!"

Moku turned his head and pointed when he saw gray smoke rising on the horizon, "Hey, someone's making a big campfire!"

"That's no campfire, Moku…" Katara replied as she glared at the smoke, a scowl forming on her face.

"It's Fire Nation." Xiaodan practically growled as she too glared at the smoke.

"They're tracking us." Sokka muttered angrily and Aang blinked as he turned to look at Chong and Lily.

"So all you need to do is trust in love to get through these caves?" The younger Airbender asked, sounding slightly worried as he glanced back at the smoke.

"That's is correct, Master Arrowhead." Chong confirmed with a nod.

Aang turned to stare at Katara's back, watching as her braid and clothes swayed slightly when a small breeze passed by. Unbeknownst to him, Xiaodan was looking at him look at the dark-haired girl adoringly with a small smile on her tanned face before she turned to look back at the smoke that seemed to be getting closer.

"We can make it." Aang said with a smile as he looked away from Katara and back at Chong.

"Everyone into the hole!" Sokka ordered as he pointed at the cave then turned and started walking inside with the others following after him.

Appa growled lowly then gave a quiet roar of fear and agitation as he followed the group into the cave. Xiaodan turned and hurried over to the large sky bison so she was walking beside him, her hand resting comfortingly on the side of his head.

"Shh…" She cooed softly, "It's okay, Appa. Everything will be okay."

* * *

The Fire Nation tanks rumbled across the terrain towards the entrance of the tunnel and paused once they reached the mouth of the cave.

"Hold on! It's too dangerous!" The commander barked as the tanks came to a stop, "Haven't you heard the song? Just close them in. The mountain will take care of the rest."

The tanks fired rotating grappling hooks into the tunnel then released them after a few moments, causing a myriad of boulders to fall in front of the cave entrance.

* * *

A loud rumbling caused Xiaodan and the rest of the group to whirl around and stare in horror as the rocks fell in front of the cave entrance, closing them inside the dark cave. Lily lit a torch and passed it to her husband as Appa growled loudly and began to paw frantically at the rocks keeping them inside.

"Shh, shh.." Xiaodan cooed as she tried to sooth the frantic sky bison by jumping onto his head and rubbing the bridge of his nose gently.

"It's okay, Appa. We'll be fine." Katara said as she also tried to reassure the bison by putting her hand on his side, "I hope."

"We'll be fine. All we need is a plan." Sokka stated firmly then he looked at Chong, "Chong, how long do those torches last?"

"Uh, about two hours." Chong replied casually while his wife lit the rest of the torches in her hand.

"And we have five torches, so that's ten hours!" The nomad woman said excitedly as she held the lit torches.

Sokka's snatched the torches from her hand and quickly stomped out the fires, "It's doesn't work like that if they're all lit at the same time!"

"Oh, right…" Lily mused with sheepish smile as she put her hands on her forehead.

Xiaodan jumped off of Appa's head, landing nimbly beside Aang and Katara as Sokka scurried up the somewhat calm flying bison's tail and began digging around the saddle.

"I'm going to make a map to keep track of exactly where we've been." The Water Tribe boy stated he grabbed a blank scroll and charcoal then he climbed out of the saddle, "Then we should be able to solve it like a maze and get through."

Xiaodan, Katara, and Aang watched as Sokka walked forward and began drawing on the scroll then the three exchanged unsure looks.

"Spirits help us…" The white-haired girl murmured quietly to herself.

* * *

"You two must not be from around here." A young woman with dark hair said in slight amusement as she wrung out a cloth then began gently rubbing at Iroh's rash, "We know better than to touch the White Jade, much less make it into tea and drink it."

The girl flicked Iroh's hand away when he began to scratch at his rash, which had gotten worse.

"Whoops!" Iroh said with a small chuckle as he rubbed at the top of his head.

"So where are you traveling from?" The girl asked curiously as she glanced over at Zuko who was sitting on a bench a few feet away from where she was treating Iroh while she wrung out a cloth.

Zuko stood nervously, "Yes, we're travelers."

"Do you have names?" The girl questioned as she grabbed Iroh's arm and began rubbing the cloth on his arm again.

"Names? Of course we have names…" Zuko stuttered with trepidation, "I'm, uh…Lee and this is my Uncle, uh…Mushi?"

Iroh shot Zuko an annoyed look then smiled pleasantly at the girl as she took a jar and began slathering lotion over the inflamed areas on his skin.

"Yes, my nephew was named after his father, so we just call him Junior." Iroh said then leaned to the side and shot Zuko a pleased smile.

Zuko's eyebrow twitched slightly and he glared at his uncle them moved his finger across his throat, signaling that Iroh was dead meat but the scarred prince stopped instantly when the girl turned to look at him.

"Mushi and Junior, huh. My name is Song. You two look like you could use a good meal." The girl introduced herself then she glanced at Iroh and swatted at his arm when he started scratching his rash again, "Why don't you stay for dinner?"

"Sorry, but we need to be moving on." Zuko responded carefully as he looked away from the girl's gaze.

"That's too bad." Song replied as she screwed the lid back onto the jar of lotion then smiled innocently at the two men, "My mom always make too much roast duck."

Iroh's eye lit up excitedly and he grinned widely at the girl, "Where do you live exactly?"

Zuko sighed and closed his eyes, resisting the temptation to smack his forehead in exasperation.

* * *

Xiaodan quirked an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly as she and the rest of the group watched Sokka look at the map, turning it to the side a few times them drawing it closer to him.

"Sokka, this is the tenth dead end you've led us to." Katara commented in vague exasperation as she looked at her brother then the wall of rocks in front of them.

"This doesn't make sense." Sokka grumbled in annoyance, "We already came through this way!"

"We don't need a map." Chong stated as Sokka stomped past him and began pacing around the group, "We just need love. The little guy knows it."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't mind a map also." Aang quipped which caused Xiaodan to giggle slightly behind her hand.

"There's something strange here. There's only one explanation." Sokka said as he stopped pacing them turned to face group again, "The tunnels are changing."

"Really?" Xiaodan questioned as her brows rose nearly to her hairline as she looked at the Water Tribe boy.

Everyone's eyes went wide with shock and surprise as the tunnels suddenly began to shake around them.

* * *

"My daughter tells me you're refugees." Song's mother commented as she placed a platter of roast duck on the table then took a seat across from Iroh at the table in the open-wall dining room, "We were once refugees ourselves."

"When I was a little girl, the Fire Nation raided our farming village." Song said , her voice sad as she looked at Zuko from under her lashes, "All the men were taken away. That was the last time I saw my father."

"I haven't seen my father in many years." Zuko stated quietly as he glanced off to the side.

"Oh?" Song questioned as she looked at Zuko curiously, "Is he fighting in the War?"

Zuko hesitated while Iroh watched him from the corner of his eye as he slurped up a bowl of noodles.

"Yeah." Zuko said quietly after a moment as he sat his dish down and looked away, his scarred face expressing dismay.

* * *

"The tunnels, they're a-changin' It must be the curse!." Chong said frantically as he put a hand to his head, "I knew we shouldn't have come down here."

"Right, if only we listened to you…" Sokka snarked sarcastically as paused to glared at the older man over his shoulder.

"Everyone be quiet." Katara said suddenly, grabbing everyone's attention as she stood beside Xiaodan with her hand raised as both girls seemed to listen intently.

"Listen…" Xiaodan stated, her brow furrowing in confusion as she strained her ears to try and hear the strange noise she and Katara had heard a moment ago.

Sokka looked into the darkness of the tunnel with Momo on his shoulder as a low snarl sounded from the dark, causing the lemur to flee from his shoulder and over to Xiaodan's. The Water Tribe boy held the torch up to the tunnel suspiciously to inspect the strange sound. Suddenly a wolfbat flew out of the darkness and towards the group with a screech, causing everyone to fall back and begin to panic.

"It's giant flying thing with teeth!" Chong yelped in panic, his fingers curling slightly to represent teeth.

"No!" Moku called out as the creature landed on the ground, "It's wolfbat!"

The wolfbat leapt into the air again and began flying around the group, snarling aggressively at them. Sokka swatted at the creature with the lit torch in a frenzy when it flew at him and Katara, but the creature knocked the torch out of his hand. The torch flew through the air and landed on Appa's front paw causing the bison to roar in pain as he began running around the tunnel, which released a discharge of rocks and debris as Appa ran into the walls of the tunnel.

Xiaodan's eyes went wide and she lurched forward, quickly Airbending Sokka and the band of nomads out of the way of the falling rocks then she used Airbending to propel herself away from the rocks. Aang gaped and rushed over to Katara and pushed her out of the way of the falling rocks, landing roughly on the ground.

Aang and Katara slowly got to their feet and turned to look at the massive wall of rocks in front of them while Appa pawed at the rocks futilely with a small whine.

* * *

Xiaodan gave a quiet groan as she pushed herself to her knees, one hand on her head where she knew a bruise was going to be forming from when she had knocked it against the ground. Molten orange eyes went wide as she stared at the massive barrier of rocks separating her from her friends and the band of nomads.

The white-haired girl shook her head then got to her feet and put her hands on her hips as she looked at the rocks carefully for a possible way back to either Sokka and the nomads or Aang and Katara. She shook her head again when she realized that there was no way to dig her way out and she sighed in defeat as she turned to face the dark tunnel in front of her. Her eyes got sight of one of the unlit torches on the ground and she quickly picked it up then lit and began walking into the tunnel. She hoped she would either find a way out or meet up with one of the two groups before she died in the cave.

"Spirits help me…"

* * *

Sokka rushed towards the wall and attempted to dig his way through the barrier that divided him and the nomads from Aang and Katara as well as Xiaodan.

"Yeah, it's no use. We're separated." Chong commented as he watched the young teen stop digging, "But at least you have us."

"Noooo!" Sokka yelled in horror as he started digging frantically again only to dislodge some of the rocks which fell on him.

* * *

Zuko sat cross-legged on the front porch of Song's house, looking out at the trees that surrounded the property. The sliding door suddenly opened and Song stepped out.

"Can I join you?" She asked then walked over to Zuko without waiting for a reply, "I know what you've been through. We've all been through it."

She sat cross-legged beside him and her eyes flicked over Zuko's scar for a moment then she turned her head to face him a little more.

"The Fire Nation has hurt you." Song said quietly then she reached up to his scar.

Zuko caught her wrist and pushed her hand away without looking at her. Song folded her hands in her lap and looked at him for a moment then closed her eyes.

"It's okay. They've hurt me, too." She said compassionately then shifted right leg out from under her and pulled her pant leg up, revealing a large scar on her lower leg.

Zuko's good eye widening slightly as he stared at the large burn in surprise then he looked up at her curiously.

* * *

"Oh don't let the cave-in get you down!" Chong sang loudly as he and the other nomads followed an irritated Sokka down the tunnel, "Don't let the rocks turn your smile into a frown! When the tunnels are darkest, that's hwen you need a clown, hey! Don't let the cave-in get you down, Sokka!"

Sokka scowled darkly at the older man and continued to stomp down the tunnel, clutching a lit torch in a white-knuckled grip.

* * *

Xiaodan stopped walking and looked around the cavern she had entered carefully, her orange eyes narrowed slightly. Her lips pursed as she looked at the four other tunnels that lead out of the cavern. Xiaodan tapped her fingers against her leg as she looked between the four tunnels indecisively for a moment, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.

"What to do, what to do…" She murmured to herself as walked towards one of the tunnel entrances and held the torch up in hopes of being able to penetrate the darkness.

Xiaodan did this to the other three tunnels then walked back to the middle of the small cavern and kneeled down, digging a small hole with her fingers which she placed the end of the torch in it so that it was standing upright. The white-haired girl shifted into a cross-legged sitting position and folded her hands in front of her as she began to meditate.

* * *

Katara looked around the tunnel she, Aang, and Appa were walking down curiously, hoping to possibly spot a way out. Her blue eyes widening in excitement when she saw a solid rock door at the end of the tunnel.

"Aang, look!" She exclaimed as she rushed towards the door with Aang hot on her heels.

"We found the exit!" Aang said, sounding just as excited as he looked up at the solid rock door.

The two began to struggle to open it while Appa stood behind them, snorting and pawing at the ground. Katara and Aang looked at Appa then at each with wide eyes, and then they jumped to the side as Appa charged forward and slammed into the door. The circular door of rock creaked as it was forcefully pushed open then it rolled off to the side.

Katara peaked into the now open doorway then jumped into the room, her hopeful look changing to one of disappointment when she realized that it wasn't an exit at all.

"This isn't an exit." She stated in dismay as she looked around.

"No…" Aang agreed as he walked up beside her then past her, "It's a tomb."

The two stared down at the ominous looking tomb below them while Appa grunted quietly behind them as he entered the room. Aang walked down from the platform they had been standing on and towards the two stone sarcophaguses in the middle of the room with Katara following him with the torch raised.

"It must be the two lovers from the legend." Aang commented as he stopped beside the raised dais the sarcophaguses were on, "That's who's buried here."

'These pictures tell their story." Katara stated as she gestured towards the panels along the tomb with the torch.

The two benders exchange a curious look and Katara leaned closer to look at the first panel then she began to narrate the story.

"They met on top of the mountain that divided their two villages…" She explained gently as she began picturing the story in her head.

'_A man dressed in blue and a woman dressed in yellow walked towards each other at the top of the mountain. The two grabbed each other hands though they quickly let go of each other._

"_**The villages were enemies, so they could not be together, but their love was strong."**_

_Two hills appear with the man stood on one while the woman kneeled on the other, both staring at each other longingly._

"_**The two lovers learned Earthbending from the badgermoles; they became the first Earthbenders."**_

_A badgermole appeared with the two lovers standing on either side of it then Katara pictured the two lovers creating the labyrinth._

"_**They built elaborate tunnels, so they could meet secretly. Anyone who tried to follow them would be forever in the labyrinth. But, one day the man didn't come…"**_

_The woman stood in the labyrinth alone a she looked around, her expression clearly startled._

"**He'd died in the war between the two villages…"**

_The woman kneeled beside a grave, her hands on her face as she wept for her lost love._

"_**Devastated, the woman unleashed a terrible display of her Earthbending power—she could have destroyed them all…"**_

_The woman stood at the top of a pillar of rock, rock pillars appearing all around her in an awesome display of her immense Earthbending power. _

"_**But instead, she declared the war over."**_

_The woman stood on a hill with the sun behind her while the two villages stood on either side of her._

"_**Both villages helped her build a new city where they would live together in peace. The woman's name was Oma and the man's name was Shu."**_

_An image of current day Omashu appeared in Katara's mind…'_

"The great city was named Omashu as a monument to their love." Katara finished narrating the story then she and Aang looked at each other for a moment before turning around.

"Love is brightest in the dark…" Katara murmured as she read an inscription on the wall where a carving of the couple kissing was.

* * *

Sokka glared at the map in his hands while Momo perched on his head.

"Oh, great!" Moku whined from behind Sokka as he and the other nomads stared at the wall in front of them, "Your plans have led us to _another_ dead end!"

"At least I'm _thinking_ of ideas and trying to get us out of here, Moku." Sokka snapped in annoyance as he glared over his shoulder at Moku.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute." Chong suddenly piped in, "We're thinking of _ideas_? Because I've had an idea for, like, an hour now."

"Yes!" Sokka shouted angrily as he spread his arms out and began waving them around dramatically, "We're all thinking of ideas!"

"Well, then listen to this." Chong stated as he looked at the irate teen, "If love is the key out of here, then all we need to do is play a love song!"

Chong began strumming a tune his pipa and Sokka slapped his forehead with his palm, causing Momo to jump away from him.

* * *

Xiaodan's breathed deeply in and out slowly as she focused her mind on the single question of which tunnel she should take. The ground suddenly began rumbling beneath her and Xiaodan's snapped her eyes open, not that it did much good since the torch was almost completely burnt out. The white-haired girl quickly jumped to her feet and snatched the torch from the ground, holding it up as she peered around the small cavern. A sudden noise from one of the tunnels caused Xiaodan to whirl around and her eyes went wide as a scream of caught in her throat as the last of the torch completely burnt out, leaving her in total darkness.

* * *

Katara studied the carving of the two lovers and the inscription curiously while Aang stood off to the side.

"How are we going to find our way out of these tunnels?" He questioned as he looked at the ceiling.

"I have a crazy idea." Katara mused, almost to herself as she continued to look at the carving.

"What?" Aang asked as he looked at her curiously and Katara hesitated.

"Never mind." Katara replied embarrassedly as she walked away, "It's too crazy."

"Katara, what is it?" Aang persisted as he walked after the girl.

"I was thinking…" Katara started as she leaned against the wall beside the carving, "The curse says we'll be trapped in here forever unless we trust in love…"

"Right…" Aang said as he looked at her back in confusion.

Katara turned to face him then gestured towards the portrait and the inscription, "And here, it says, _'Love is brightest in the dark,'_ and has a picture of them kissing."

"Where are you going with this?" Aang asked, now utterly confused and lost at what Katara was trying to say.

"Well, what if we…kissed?" Katara said shyly as she blushed brightly and didn't quite meet Aang's eyes.

"Us…kissing?" Aang asked, staring at the dark-haired girl in shock.

"See? It was a crazy idea." The dark-haired girl stated with a nervous chuckle as she turned away from Aang.

"Us…_kissing_…" Aang sighed dreamily.

"Us kissing." Katara chuckled in a joking manner, "What was I thinking? Can you imagine _that_?"

"Yeah." Aang said, also in a joking tone as he laughed awkwardly, "I definitely wouldn't kiss _you_."

There was a beat of silence then Katara whirled around to look at Aang, her expression offended.

"Oh well! I didn't realize it was _such _a _horrible _option!" She snapped, clearly insulted as her tone turned angry, "Sorry I suggested it!"

"No, no!" Aang said hurriedly when he realized his mistake, "I mean, if there was a choice between kissing you and _dying_…"

"Ugh!"

"What I'm saying is I would rather kiss you than die" Aang said desperately as he tried to get back into Katara's good graces, "That's a compliment!"

"Well, I'm not sure_ which_ I'd rather do!" Katara hissed as she slammed the torch into Aang's hand and stormed away, obviously enraged.

Aang watched her go then slapped his forehead with his free hand, "What is _wrong _with me?"

He sighed and walked in the opposite direction Katara had gone in.

* * *

Sokka trailed after the band of nomads as they continued playing and singing, his shoulders slumped in annoyance.

"Even if you're lost, you can't lose the love because it's in your heart…" Chong sang happily as he lead the group through the tunnel.

Sokka slapped his head forehead in exasperation and annoyance.

* * *

"Thank you for the duck." Iroh said with a smile as he and Zuko stood outside of Song and her mother's house, "It was excellent."

"You're welcome." Song's mother stated with a warm smile as she handed Iroh a parcel of leftover roast duck and rice, "It brings me pleasure to see someone eat my cooking with such…gusto."

Iroh patted his stomach in a contented manner, "Much practice."

Zuko resisted the urge to roll his eyes and turned to leave but Iroh stopped him.

"Junior, where are your manners?" The older man chided softly, "You need to thank these nice people."

Zuko turned back around and bowed to the two women, "Thank you."

"I know you don't think there's any hope left in the world, but there is hope." Song told Zuko as he continued to walk away, "The Avatar has returned."

Zuko paused at the small gate that surrounded the yard and glanced over his shoulder at the young woman.

"I know." He muttered bitterly then he opened the gate and continued walking with Iroh trailing behind him.

Zuko stopped walking when he heard the ostrich-horse tied to a post a few feet away from the gate. The banished prince hesitated a moment then quietly walked over to the animal and untied the reins from the post. He led the ostrich-horse away from post then mounted it and rode it over to where his uncle was standing.

"What are you doing?" Iroh demanded quietly as Zuko rode up beside him, "These people just showed you great kindness."

"They're about to show us a little more kindness." Zuko retorted calmly as he waited for his uncle to climb into the saddle, "Well?"

Iroh sighed in disappointment then reluctantly climbed into the saddle behind his nephew and Zuko urged the ostrich-horse forward, unbeknownst to the fact that Song was watching him leave from a small crack in the sliding door. The young woman looked down sadly then closed the screen door silently.

* * *

"We're gonna run out of light any second now, aren't we?" Aang asked with a sigh as he and Katara wandered through one of the tunnels with Appa trailing behind them, the torch ready to burn out at any moment.

"I think so…" Katara replied as she glanced at the significantly smaller torch in Aang's hand.

"Then, what are we going to do?" Aang asked, looking at the dark-haired girl as the two of them came to a stop.

"What _can _we do?" Katara responded then silently walked over and grabbed Aang's hand.

Aang smiled up at her sweetly and the two began leaning closer as the last of the torch light faded, leaving them in total blackness. Suddenly, the ceiling of the cave lit up with thousands of glowing crystals embedded in the ceiling in a straight line. Katara and Aang, still holding hands, looked at the gleaming crystals in surprise as the path of crystals went down one of the tunnels.

* * *

Sokka continued to follow the singing and playing nomads when all of a sudden ferocious snarling filled the tunnel they were in. The nomads stopped playing and Sokka dropped his hand from his forehead while Momo gave a quiet screech and leapt from Sokka's shoulder, running the other way. Sokka and the nomads stare in horror as several wolfbats came charging out of the darkness of the tunnel and straight at the group. Sokka began waving his hands above his head as the several dozen wolfbats flew over his head and in the direction the group had just come from.

"Hey!" Chong exclaimed in amazement as he and the other nomads looked at Sokka, "You saved us, Sokka!"

"No, they were trying to get away from something!" Sokka stated, his voice cracking slightly with tension as he looked at the darkness the wolfbats had come from as Momo jumped back onto his shoulder.

"From what?" Chong asked in confusion then his eyes widened as the tunnel began to rumble and shake violently.

The wall of the tunnel a few feet in front of the group suddenly exploded outward and a giant badgermoles burst into the tunnel and a second later the wall behind the group burst outward and a second badgermole appeared behind the group, causing them to panic.

The badgermole that had appeared first closed its hands together in a prayerful manner, closing off the tunnel behind it with Earthbending while the second badgermole slammed its paws against the ground, closing off the exit behind it. The first badgermole then Earthbended a crack in the tunnel floor that separated the nomads and Sokka by pounding its paws against the ground and the second one began stalking towards Sokka.

The second badgermole knocked Sokka of his feet by hitting the ground then it began tromping towards the Water Tribe boy. Sokka hastily began backing away, raising one arm to protect his face while his other reached behind him, his fingers hitting a string on Chong's dropped pipa and producing a musical note. The badgermole stopped approaching Sokka and cocked its head curiously. Sokka's eyes widened slightly and he hurried grabbed the pipa and began playing, watching in surprise and glee as the badgermole began to quiet down.

"Hey!" Chong exclaimed quietly as he got back to his feet and threw his arms in the air, "Those things are music lovers!"

"Badgermoles coming towards me." Sokka sang nervously as he continued strumming the pipa as the badgermoles stared at him with their sightless eyes, "Come on guys, help me out!"

"The big, bad badgermoles who Earthbend the tunnels, hate the wolfbats, but love the sounds!" Chong began to sing as he pulled the lute strapped to his back in front of him and began strumming it as the other nomads began to stand.

* * *

Katara and Aang looked up at the crystals in awe, their hands still linked.

"They're made of some kind of crystal." Aang stated as he looked at the ceiling, "They must only light up in the dark."

"That's how the two lovers found each other." Katara said then she gestured along the ceiling with her hand, "They just put out their lights and followed the crystals."

Her eyes shined with excitement as looked at the tunnel the crystal trail led towards, "That must be the way out!"

She and Aang smiled brightly and embraced each other tightly.

"So, uh…" Aang stuttered after the two pulled away.

"Let's go!" Katara exclaimed excitedly then she ran down the tunnel.

Aang watched her go then shook his head and smiled slightly as he and Appa followed after her quickly. The two made their way to the end of the tunnel, exiting the cave and into the outdoors while Appa bounded after them hurriedly, flopping onto his back with his tongue lolling out in content as soon as he had exited the cave.

"What about Xia and Sokka?" Aang questioned as he and Katara look at the cave exit.

The two look around in concern but then they heard a suddenly rumbling coming from the mountain. They're eyes went wide as the mountain wall on either side of the cave exit suddenly exploded and the two shielded their eyes from the shower of rocks and debris. The cloud of dust cleared and the rocks and debris settled, revealing Sokka and the nomads riding atop two badgermoles. Sokka grinned as he looked down at Katara and Aang, waving enthusiastically while Momo flew about.

"Sokka!" Katara shouted happily as she looked up at her brother slid down the side of the badgermole he was riding and ran over to Aang and Katara.

"How did you guys get out?" Sokka asked as he looked at the two while the nomads climbed down from the other badgermole.

"Just like the legend said, we let love lead the way." Aang replied with a sheepish smile, "Really? We let huge, ferocious beasts lead our way." Sokka commented then looked behind the two curiously, "Isn't Xia with you guys?"

"No." Katara replied with a shake of her head, "She isn't with you?"

Aang's eyes went wide and he looked at the sibling with a stricken expression as they all realized that the white-haired girl was still in the cave.

"We have to go-" Aang started only to be cut off when another rumbling filled the air.

Aang, Sokka, Katara, and the nomads all turned back to the cave exit and stared as another badgermole burst from the wall of the cave, this time with Xiaodan perched on its back.

"Oh thank the Spirits!" The white-haired girl shouted as she jumped off the badgermole, using Airbending to propel herself over to her friends.

"Xia!" Aang exclaimed happily as the two Airbenders embraced tightly, "We thought you had gotten trapped in there!"

Xiaodan pulled away, her arm wrapped around Aang's shoulder as she gestured towards the large badgermole standing between the two the nomads and Sokka had ridden.

"Nah, little brother, I had help from my new friend over there." She said with a laugh as she let go of Aang and walked over to the badgermole and rubbed its nose gently then looked at the other two animals on either side, "It seems someone had the same idea."

"Yep, apparently badgermoles like music." Sokka quipped with a grin.

"Bye! Thanks for the save!" Xiaodan called out as she and Sokka waved at the badgermoles as they plodded their way back into the cave, a rock wall rising up where they had reentered the cave.

Xiaodan smiled and slung her arm around Aang's shoulder again, glancing briefly at where Momo was chittered to Appa as if the lemur was telling him about his journey through the caves then Appa roared at him.

Katara hugged her brother happily then pulled back and looked at his forehead curiously as Aang and Xiaodan ran past them over to the other nomads.

"Why is your forehead all red?" She asked curiously with a quirked brow.

Chong suddenly leaned against Sokka's shoulder, speaking out of the corner of his mouth as he looked over at Aang, "Nobody react to what I'm about to yell you, but I think that kid might be the Avatar."

Sokka's eye twitched and he slapped his forehead, enlarging the red spot as Chong looked at him curiously.

"So are you guys going to come to Omashu with us?" Aang asked as he stood in front of the other nomads with Xiaodan, who was rocking back on her heels with a smile on her face.

"Nope." Moku replied breezily.

"Okay." Aang said, "Thanks for everything, Moku."

Xiaodan and Aang waved as the nomads began walking away with Lily in the lead.

Chong took off his flower necklace and placed it around Sokka neck then clapped his hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Sokka, I hope you learned a little something about not letting the plans get in the way of the journey." Chong stated, actually sounding a little serious then he hugged the Water Tribe boy.

Sokka scowled slightly in irritation and tried to ignore the faint blush on his cheeks, "Just play your songs."

"Hey! Good plan!" Chong said gleefully as he pulled away from Sokka then began strumming his lute and singing as he followed after the other nomads, "Even if you're lost, you can't lose the love because it's in your heart. Da, da, da…"

Aang glanced over at Katara, causing Sokka and Xiaodan to smile faintly as they stood behind the two younger teens with their arms crossed. Aang looked back at the nomads just as Katara blushed brightly and looked off to the side.

* * *

"The journey was long and annoying, but now you get to see what it's all about: the destination." Sokka said as the four teens walked up the mountainside towards Omashu.

"I present you the Earth Kingdom city of O-" The Water Tribe boy started to say as they crested the mountain only to pause abruptly, "Oh no…"

"This is not good…" Xiaodan murmured as she, Katara and Aang walked up beside Sokka and stared in shock and dismay, "This is not good at all…"

The great city of Omashu had been captured and placed under Fire Nation rule, the entrance to the city draped with Fire Nation flag.

* * *

**Author's Note: Oh my gawd, I am so sorry for the late update. I've been having a difficult time finding the time to actually sit down and write. Anyhooties, I'm going to try really, really hard to get back onto my 'update-every-other-day' schedule. I hope everyone liked this chapter, since it was a bit difficult to find a way to insert Xiaodan into this episode. Anyhooties, the next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 3: Return to Omashu and it **_**should**_** be posted on Saturday, hopefully. **

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys rock and I lurves you muchos!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**LeoInuyuka: **Thanks, I'm glad you thought the summary was good. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Sorry, but no Xiaodan thinking about Zuko in this chapter, I think I'm going to save that for The Swamp. I totally agreed that Xia shouldn't have been with Katara and Aang, but I hope you liked how I had her find her own way out of the cave. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Thanks! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: **Haha, no, no Airbender tats for me. I actually had to reschedule getting my tattoo since I had to watch my brother, but I'm going to be getting a picture of Sally and Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas on my right shoulder blade, it'll be my third tat. Anyhooties, I put the link to Xiaodan's picture on my profile before Valentine's day, the link should be posted under the bold/italicized Open Your Mind on my profile. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**88dragon06: **Thank you, I'm glad you like the last chapter! I hope you liked this one too, despite the long wait!

**Little ninja of awesome: **Haha, thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far. I completely understand, I was a little iffy about doing that but I figured it would flow a lot better since the first 'season' of the story wasn't really going to focus much on Xiaodan/Zuko but more on Xiaodan being a supporting character to Aang. I'm super happy you like Xiaodan, I like to think she's one of my finer OCs that I've been able to create. Haha, I'm not much of a fan of Zutara either, since Aang and Katara are perfect for each other in my opinion. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Nicky0: **Thanks! I hope you liked this chapter!

**LEbony02: **Haha, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Anon: **Sorry! I hope this chapter was worth the wait!


	24. Chapter 24: Return to Omashu

**AN: Chapter 24 takes place during Season 2 Episode 3: Return to Omashu, it's going to be a fun chapter. POVs as usual, enjoy lovelies!**

* * *

Xiaodan pursed her lips and crossed her arms tightly over her chest as she stared at the Fire Nation flag hanging above the entrance of Omashu as well as the thick plumes of gray-black smoke filling the air surrounding the fallen city.

"I can't believe it." Aang said in disbelief as he stood beside Xiaodan and looked at the fallen city then he turned to look at Katara and Sokka, his tone becoming sad, "I know the War has spread far, but Omashu always seemed…untouchable."

"Up until now, it was." Sokka stated with a frown as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Now Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left."

"This is horrible." Katara whispered sadly as she walked forward and stood between the two Airbenders, "But we have to move on."

"No." Aang and Xiaodan said simultaneously, their voices firm and their expressions determined.

"We're going to find Bumi." Xiaodan said without turning around and Aang nodded in agreement.

"Xia, Aang, stop." Sokka stated with a sigh, "We don't even know if Bumi's still-"

"What?" Aang demanded angrily as he turned to glare at the older boy, "If he's still what?"

"A-around." Sokka stuttered in response and rubbed the back of his neck as he avoided looking the two Airbenders' eyes.

"I know you had your heart set on Bumi, but there are other people who can teach you Earthbending." Katara said reassuringly.

"This isn't about finding a teacher." Aang snapped, clearly upset as he scowled faintly at the dark-haired girl, "This is about find my and Xia's friend."

Xiaodan nodded and turned to look back at the fallen city, her fingers tapping against her bicep.

* * *

"A secret passage?" Sokka muttered as he watched Aang and Xiaodan use their gliders to open an entrance to a secret tunnel, "Why didn't we just use this last time."

The two Airbenders managed to open the tunnel and a small flood of sewage flowed out onto Sokka's feet.

"Ugh!" The Water Tribe boy grunted in disgust as he looked at the gunk.

"Does that answer your question?" Aang quipped sarcastically as he ducked into the sewer tunnel, a snickering Xiaodan following right behind him.

"Ewww…" Sokka muttered, pinching his nose in disgust as he followed the two Airbenders into the sewer.

The four teens proceed through the tunnel, Aang and Xiaodan conjuring airballs with their staffs to clear a path while Katara used Waterbending to carefully maneuver the sewage around her. Sokka, on the other hand, was continuously soaked in the foal substance since he was unable to bend it away from it.

Once they had reached the end of the sewer, Aang used a blast of air to loosen the sewer lid which he then held up slightly so that he could make sure the coast was clear. Noticing that the street was empty, Aang pushed the sewer cover aside then used Airbending to propel himself out of the manhole, Xiaodan following him a moment.

"That wasn't as bad as I thought." Katara commented happily as she pulled herself out of the manhole and stood beside Aang and Xiaodan after inspecting the hem of her tunic, Momo resting on her shoulder

"Ugh!" Xiaodan mumbled in disgust when Sokka climbed out of the sewer completely covered in the sewage slime.

The Water Tribe boy groaned and shuffled towards the three benders with his arms outstretched. Katara quickly Waterbended some water from a barrel and launched it at her brother, washing away the slime then Xiaodan and Aang swung their staffs and dried him off. Xiaodan's brows rose nearly to her hairline when she saw the purple pentapi attached to Sokka's face.

Sokka stared at the three blankly for a moment then started screaming when the pentapi began sucking on his face.

"Ahh! They won't let go!" Sokka shrieked as he tried to yank the pentapi off his face, "Help!"

Aang lunged at Sokka and knocked him back into a wall, "Shh! Stop making so much noise. It's just a purple pentapus."

Xiaodan reached forward and rubbed a pentapus's head gently while Aang did the same to the other pentapus on Sokka's face, causing both creatures to pop right off and leave bright red welts on Sokka's skin. Sokka sighed in relief and quickly removed the pentapus on his neck as he rubbed his cheek vigorously.

"Hey!"

The four teens froze and turned to look at the here Fire Nation guards that had appeared suddenly and where approaching them. Aang quickly pulled Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan in front of him so that he could cover up his arrow before the guards saw him.

"What are you kids doing out past curfew?" The lead guard demanded as he and the other two stopped a few feet away just as Aang appeared between Katara and Xiaodan, his shawl wrapped around his head like a hat.

"Sorry." Katara apologized as she and the others gave the guards innocent smiles, "We were just on our way home."

The four turned and tried started walking down the street as calmly as they could.

"Wait!" The lead guard said suddenly when he noticed the red spots on the back of the older boy's neck, "What's the matter with him."

"Uh…" Katara stuttered a she leaned back slightly and looked at her brother's neck.

"He has pentapox, sir." Xiaodan lied quickly as she, Katara, Sokka, and Aang turned around as the guards walked closer to them, "Umm…"

"It's highly contagious." Katara added when the lead guard leaned forward to look at the red spots on Sokka's face, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Sokka blinked up at the guard then changed in his expression into one of agony as he clutched at his face, "Oh, it's so awful. I'm _dying_."

"And deadly." Xiaodan quipped as she watched the lead guard back away from Sokka quickly.

"Hey, I think I heard of pentapox!" A second guard said as he took a slight step away from the four teens then addressed the third guard, "Didn't your cousin Chang die of it?"

"We'd better go wash our hands and burn our clothes." The lead guard stated as he and the other two turned around and rushed away, leaving the four teens alone in the street.

"I can't believe they bought that…" Xiaodan commented as she stared after the retreating guards in disbelief, "That's a little sad."

Aang just grinned and the head of the pentapus he still had in his hand, "Thank you, sewer friends."

* * *

"When tracking your brother and uncle, traveling with the royal procession may no longer be an option." Li intoned sagely as she sat on one side the Azula's royal palanquin.

"May no longer be wise." Lo added from the other side of the palanquin.

"If you hope to keep the element of surprise." The two sisters droned together.

"You're right. The royal procession is dead weight. If I want to catch my prey, I must be agile, nimble. I need a small, elite team." Azula commented from inside the palanquin, gold eyes narrowed slightly then a small smirk appeared on her pretty face, "It's time to visit some old friends."

* * *

Xiaodan, Katara, Aang, and Sokka with Momo on his shoulder as they snuck around the fall en city of Omashu, ducking behind some metal bars used for construction as a patrol of Fire Nation guards passed by them, the dark night providing good cover.

"Let's find Bumi and get out of here." Katara muttered quietly as the four peered at the patrol over the metal bars.

"Where would they be keeping him?" Sokka asked the two Airbenders softly.

"Somewhere he can't Earthbend." Xiaodan replied quietly as she around then her gaze focused on the metal palace in the center of the city.

"Yeah," Aang agreed as he followed his sister's gaze, "Somewhere made of metal."

The four teens moved out from behind their hiding place and continued to sneak through the city in search of Bumi.

* * *

"There really is no fathoming the depths of my hatred for this place." A young woman with black hair and an emotionless expression drawled blandly as she walked in front of two Fire Nation guards.

"Mai, your father was appointed governor." An older woman, clearly the girl's mother, chided as she held her baby boy in her arms, "We're like royalty here. Be happy and enjoy it."

* * *

A man in Earth Kingdom guard stood high above the party beside one of the mail delivery chute that was filled with some large rocks, ready to be pushed down the chute and directly at the party below where the delivery chute ended.

"The targets are approaching." The man said as he looked over the edge and saw the light of the torches below.

A beard man in Earth Kingdom military uniform nodded from behind the other man, "Take them out."

* * *

"I thought my life was boring in the Fire Nation, but this place is unbearably bleak." Mai sighed in a dull tone, "Nothing ever happens here."

* * *

The resistance fighter pushed the rocks down the chute using Earthbending then stepped back as the rocks crumbling down the chute at high speed, heading straight towards the two women, the baby, and the guards.

* * *

"Look!" Xiaodan hissed as she and her three friends caught sight of the rocks rushing towards the party of people.

Aang looked at the procession in distress then leapt forward and slammed his staff down, pulverizing the rocks with a blast of air as it passed down the chute, the explosive sound alerting the party.

* * *

The Fire Nation party looked up to see what caused the sound and Mai squinted her eyes slightly so that she could make out who was standing above her.

"The resistance!" Mai's mother shouted as she pointed at Aang, who stared at her with wide eyes.

A faint smirk appeared on Mai's face and she swung her hands up towards Aang, sending tiny arrows flying at him.

Aang quickly jumped up to avoid the arrows which embedded themselves into the stack of construction materials he landed on. Aang quickly leapt back over to where Xiaodan, Sokka, and Katara were waiting and the four ran away as two of the Fire Nation guards were climbing up ladders to get to them.

Katara whirled around and used the water from her flask to create a water whip, lashing out at the two guards pursing them and knocking off the side of the level they were standing on just as Mai reached the level. Mai extended her right arm as she ran at Katara, shooting off some small arrows at the other girl, but Katara raised a shield of ice to protect herself.

Katara spun around and raced over to where Xiaodan and Aang were waiting for her while Mai jumped over the ice shield in hot pursuit. Katara ran past Xiaodan and Aang and the two Airbenders twisted, sending a gust of wind at some of the construction scaffolding and causing it to collapse in front of the still running Mai. Mai skidded to a stop and thrusted her hand out, sending two throwing stars and they bounced off the metal wall, heading straight at the two Airbenders.

"Look out!" Xiaodan shouted as she spun herself in front of Aang and twirled her staff in front of her, catching the two throwing stars in the wood.

The white-haired girl looked at the stars that were stuck in her staff then glared at the other girl standing on the opposite side of the collapsed scaffolding. Mai sneered slightly and flung more of the small arrows at Xiaodan, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Momo, but the ground opened up beneath them and they disappeared before the small projectiles could meet there marks.

Mai looked at the place where the four teens and the lemur had been then sighed and turned around, walking away in disinterest.

* * *

Xiaodan groaned quietly as she rubbed her head along with Aang and Sokka while Katara looked around, clearly disoriented. Xiaodan's head shot up when she heard someone step towards them and she blinked when she saw a man in Earth Kingdom military uniform standing in front of her along with two other men.

"Uh…Hi?"

* * *

"Ty Lee, could that possibly be you?" Azula asked as she stopped paused in front of a girl with long brown hair in a braid standing upside down on her index fingers.

"Azula!" The girl, Ty Lee, exclaimed with a smile then she let her feet fall forward back onto the ground then she twirled around gracefully and dropped into a low bow before the Fire Nation princess for a moment.

"It's so good to see you!" Ty Lee said happily as raced forward and embraced Azula happily.

"Please, don't let me interrupt your…whatever it is you were doing." Azula said after Ty Lee had pulled away, her dark brow raised in bemusement.

Ty Lee smiled widely as she performed a backflip that ended with her lying on her chest with one leg stretched out over her head while the other was pointing straight up to the sky, then she began idly kicking her legs.

"Tell me, what is the daughter of a nobleman doing here?" Azula asked as she glanced around the circus then back to her friend, "Certainly our parents didn't send us to the Royal Fire Academy for Girl to end up in…places like this."

Azula's brow rose further when she glanced off to the side and stared quizzically as three men tried to move a platypus-bear by tugging at its leash. The platypus-bear groaned loudly and got up, revealing that it had laid an egg. Azula's lip curled slightly in disgust and she quickly looked back at Ty Lee, who feet were resting on the back of her head while her hands held up her chin and a happy expression on her face as she too looked at the platypus-bear.

"I have a proposition for you." Azula stated, grabbing Ty Lee's attention again and the princess looked at her nails, "I'm hunting a traitor. You remember my old fuddy-duddy uncle, don't you?"

"Oh yeah." Ty Lee said in confirmation then she giggled quietly, "He was so funny."

"I would be honored if you would join me on my mission."

"Oh-I-uh…would love to." Ty Lee stuttered nervously as she stood up in a single, fluid and elegant move, "But the truth is, I'm really happy here. I mean my aura has never been pinker!"

"I'll take your word for it." Azula replied as she lifted her hand casually then crossed her arms, "Well, I wouldn't want you to give up the life you love just to please me."

"Thank you, Azula." Ty Lee said gratefully as she bowed respectfully then began stretching again.

"Of course, before I leave, I'm going to catch your show." Azula called over her shoulder as she walked away, a small smirk on her face.

Ty Lee's eyes went wide and she gasped quietly in panic, accidently breaking her stance. The brown-haired girl took a breath and continued to stretch, her panicked expression changing to one of worry and trepidation.

"Uh, yeah…sure, uh…of course." Ty Lee called back, her tone nervous.

* * *

Xiaodan crossed her arms tightly over her chest as she walked next to Aang as the four teens followed three Earth Kingdom soldiers through a tunnel and into a large underground cave.

"So, is King Bumi with you guys?" Aang asked the man in charge, Yung, eagerly as they came to a stop, "Is he leading the resistance?"

"Of course not!" Yung snapped angrily as he clenched his fists, "The day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle. We were prepared to defend our city…to fight for our lives and for our freedom. But before we even had a change, King Bumi surrendered!"

Xiaodan felt her jaw drop at Yung's words and Aang gave the older man a disconcerted look, Katara looking at both Airbenders in concern.

"You're kidding?" Xiaodan asked, her shock obvious and Yung shook his head.

"The day of the invasion, I asked King Bumi what he wanted to do." Yung explained, his tone still angry, "He looked me in the eye and said '_I'm going to do…nothing!'_"

"It doesn't matter now." Yung continued, causing both Aang and Xiaodan to lower their eyes sadly, "Fighting the Fire Nation is the only path to freedom. And freedom is worth dying for."

Xiaodan pursed her lips and leaned against her staff, keeping her eyes on the ground while Aang leaned against his own staff beside her.

"Actually there's another path to freedom." Aang stated as he lifted his eyes and looked at Yung, "You could leave Omashu. You're directing all your energy to fight the Fire Nation. But you're outnumbered. You can't win."

"Now would be the time to retreat," Xiaodan added quietly as she straightened and looked at Yung and the other resistance members, "So you can live to fight another day."

"You don't understand." Yung retorted in exasperation as he began gesturing with his hands, "They've taken our home, and we have to fight them at any cost!"

"I don't know, Yung." One of the resistance fighters said in a soft tone, "Living to fight another day is startin' to sound pretty good to me."

"Yeah!" Another fighter agreed decisively as he stepped forward and pointed at himself, "I'm with the kid and his friend!"

Yung pursed his lips slightly and looked out at all the people who had taken refuge in the sewers under Omashu as they whispered quietly to themselves, then Yung looked back at Xiaodan and Aang.

"Fine." He consented reluctantly, "But there's thousands of citizens that need to leave. How're we going to get them all out?"

Sokka rested his hand on his chin as he thought then a broad smile appeared on his face as he pointed at Yung and the other fighters.

"Suckers!"

Xiaodan quirked a brow at him while Katara and Aang gave him strange looks along with Yung and the other fighters, Momo chirping questionably from his perch on Xiaodan's shoulder. Sokka blinked then shifted his eyes right and left, his smile widening.

"You're all about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox."

Xiaodan's eyes went wide for a moment then she laughed as she shook her head, "Sokka, you're a genius."

* * *

"The marks make ya look sick, but you gotta act sick too." Sokka explained to the people of Omashu as they used the pentapi to create little red suction marks on their skin, "Ya gotta sell it!"

Xiaodan's brows rose as an elder man hobbled past her and Sokka, leaning heavily on his cane as he clutched his back and moaned in pain.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Sokka exclaimed, grabbing a guy standing next to him as he pointed at the old man.

"Years of practice." The old man said with a grin as he turned around and tapped his wooden leg with his cane, causing Xiaodan to shake her head in amusement and cross her arms.

"Okay everyone!" Sokka called out as he clapped his hands together to grab the citizens' attention, "Into sick formation!"

The citizens and Sokka began shuffling off towards the gates of Omashu, moaning and groaning in pain as they feigned illness. Katara went to join the others but paused when she saw that Aang and Xiaodan were walking in the other direction.

"Aang, Xia, what are you doing?" The dark-haired girl asked curiously, "Aren't you guys coming with us."

Aang turned around and shook his head, "No, Xia and I aren't leaving until we find Bumi."

Katara nodded and shuffled after her brother and the other citizens.

"Let's, Aang." Xiaodan said as she used Airbending to jump onto the roof of a house then she began jumping from rooftop-to-rooftop just as Momo jumped onto Aang's shoulder and tugged at his lips, but the younger Airbender brushed the lemur off gently.

"Sorry, Momo, I'll feed you later." Aang apologized to the lemur then propelled himself into the air using Airbending and he jumped from rooftop-to-rooftop rapidly to catch up with his sister.

* * *

The Fire Nation guards stared in horror at the swarm of moaning people shuffled towards where they were guarding the gates of Omashu. The people were swaying back-and-forth and some had their arms outstretched which caused the guards to back away with their spears raised.

Sokka groaned in pain and grabbed at his red-spotted face in theatrical agony then he reached out towards the guards, who began to back away hurriedly.

"Plague! Plague!" One of the guards shouted as he and the others ran around the crowd of sick people and towards the citadel behind them, away from the gates while another guard at the top began ringing the gong to alert everyone of the problem.

* * *

"What is going on down there?" Mai's father, the 'governor' of Omashu demanded as he rested his hands against the balcony and looked out at the shuffling crowd of citizens and retreating guards.

"I saw some kids yesterday who were sick with pentapox." A guard said from behind the governor, "It must have spread!"

"Pentapox!" The governor muttered as he stroked his beard, "Hmm...I'm pretty sure I've heard of that."

Mai rolled her eyes slightly from beside her father and continued to eat from the bowl of fire flakes in her hand.

"Oh, this is terrible!" Mai's mother all but wailed as she clutched her baby son, Tom-Tom to her chest.

"What should we do?" The guard asked, looking at the governor for instruction.

"Drive them out of the city," The governor ordered as he pointed towards the gates of Omashu, "But don't touch them! We have to rid the city of this disease!"

The guard bowed respectfully and left to carry out the governor's orders. Mai glanced over at her father then held the bowl of fire flakes out to him.

"Fire flakes, Dad?" Mai offered blandly and her father gave her a reproachful look, while his wife put Tom-Tom down beside her.

"How awful!" The woman said with a gasp as she wrapped her arms around her husband, seeking comfort and leaving Tom-Tom on the ground.

Tom-Tom gave a quiet gurgle of laughter and toddled off the balcony and back into the room, his family completely unaware of his disappearance.

* * *

Xiaodan and Aang ran through the abandoned streets of Omashu lightly then they nimbly climbed one of the empty houses and walked along the balcony railing, their arms stretched out for balance. Aang jumped from the balcony railing and Xiaodan followed him a moment later, the two Airbenders landing lightly on a flat rooftop. Xiaodan's eyes widened slightly when she and Aang caught sight of a large, white creature pushing a turnstile below them and the two jumped down.

"Flopsie!" Xiaodan and Aang exclaimed when they realized that the creature was Bumi's pet goat-gorilla.

Flopsie stopped pushing the turnstile when he heard his name and turned towards the two Air Nomads, his sad expression morphing into a happy one as he hurried forward and tried to reach for his two friends. But the chain around his neck prevented him from reaching and he gave up his attempts with a despondent whine.

"Oh you poor thing." Xiaodan cooed as she hurried forward to pet Flopsie's nose while Aang jumped over the goat-gorilla and landed on the turnstile where the lock to Flopsie's chain was located.

Xiaodan stroked Flopsie's muzzle while Aang used water from the goat-gorilla bowl to freeze the lock then the younger Airbender swung his staff and destroyed the lock, freeing Flopsie. The giant goat-gorilla made a happy noise and hugged the two Airbenders tightly, licking both of their faces with a swipe of his tongue which caused Xiaodan to laugh.

"Come on, Flopsie," Aang said as he and Xiaodan climbed on top of Flopsie's neck, "You gotta help me find Bumi. Yip-yip!"

Flopsie didn't move and Aang scratched his head, giving Xiaodan a sheepish look as she chuckled behind him.

"Oh… I guess that doesn't work with you." Aang said with a sheepish laugh as he shook his head slightly, "Let's go!"

Xiaodan yelped slightly in surprise and wrapped an arm around Aang's waist to keep from falling off the goat-gorilla when Flopsie suddenly raced forward with great speed.

* * *

Momo chittered quietly as he flew through the city then he landed on a balcony and peaked through the window. The lemur's eyes went wide and he started to drool when he caught sight of a large bowl full of berries sitting on a table in the middle of the room. Momo quickly flew into the room and landed on the table then he began stuffing berries in his mouth, only taking a moment to rapidly spit out the seeds, completely unaware that he was not alone in the room.

Tom-Tom giggled happily as he played with his stuffed bear, tossing it up into the air then catching it again. His happy giggling was cut short when he noticed a bunch of little objects on the ground and he gurgled curiously as he began following the path they made, coming to a stop under the table where he could a see a striped rope swaying idly on one side. Tom-Tom sat down and looked at the rope for a moment then reached forward and grabbed it with both hands, giving it a small tug.

Momo screeched quietly through a mouthful of berries as he was suddenly yanked off the table and onto the ground mid-bite. The lemur tried to scramble away but only managed to pull a giggling Tom-Tom out from under table, Momo's tail firmly grasped in his pudgy hands. Momo finally managed to get his tail free and he leapt out of the window and back onto the balcony railing. The lemur glanced behind him then chittered in terror when he saw the human baby toddling towards him with his arms stretched out wide. Momo backed away from the baby then leapt off the railing and flew away just as the baby reached out for him, causing Tom-Tom to tumble off the railing and slide down the roof.

Tom-Tom giggled happily as he slid right off the roof and into a passing mail cart full of berries, his head disappearing underneath the berries. Momo chittered happily when he spotted the cart full of berries and he eagerly landed on top of the pile of fruit, stuffing the berries in his mouth again. Tom-Tom emerged from under the berries, a happy giggle spilling from his mouth when he saw the same striped rope in front of him and he grabbed it gleefully then he bit down on it.

Momo's eyes went wide and he chittered rapidly as he dropped the berries in his hands and jumped into the air, frantically flapping his wings in a desperate attempt to get away from the human baby that had just bit his tail. The mail chute suddenly became steeper which allowed Momo to lift himself as well as Tom-Tom, who was still clinging to his tail, into the air as the cart of berries fell out from under them. Momo tried to stay in the air but the lemur was unable to bear the weight of both himself and the baby and the two start to descend, Tom-Tom's backside dragging against the ground for a second before Momo crashed landed on the ground.

The baby giggled gleefully as he rolled across the ground and landed on top of Momo, pinning the lemur to the ground which caused Momo to screech as he clawed at the ground and tried to shake the baby off his back desperately. Tom-Tom's giggling stopped abruptly as he watched the crowd of 'sick' people suddenly shuffle past him and Momo, which allowed the lemur to wiggle out from under the baby and disappear into the ground. Tom-Tom gurgled in delight and pushed himself to his feet, staggering after the crowd and right out of the gates.

* * *

Azula smirked slightly as she watched two of the circus performers dressed in dragon costumes dance around the main ring before moving aside to reveal the circus master standing in front of the ring.

"We're deeply honored to have the Fire Lord's daughter at out humble circus!" The circus master addressed the crowd as he stood in front of the high box where Azula was sitting with two guards at her sides, "Uh…tell us if there is anything we can do to make the show more enjoyable."

"I will." Azula replied, her smirk widening ever so slightly as she turned her attention to the circus ring where a net spanned under the tightrope high above her head, where Ty Lee was balancing precariously on her hand on top of a thin pole that was attached to a round pot on the tightrope.

"Incredible." Azula praised as she and the circus master watched Ty Lee switch hands easily, "Do you think she'll fall?"

"Of course not." The circus master responded, completely confident in Ty Lee's abilities.

"Then wouldn't it make it more interesting if you removed the net?" Azula questioned nonchalantly as she turned to look directly at the circus master.

"Uh…the thing is…the performers…" The circus master tried to explain as a concerned look appeared on his face.

"You're right, you're right. That's been done." Azula cut in with a dismissive wave of her hand as she turned back to watch Ty Lee then she continued in a tone of dark pleasure, "I know. Set the net on fire."

"Of course, Princess." The circus master said as he gave Azula a stricken look but walked over to the net and set it on fire.

High above their heads, Ty Lee stared down at the blazing flames below her, sweating beginning to trickle down her forehead but she continued her act nonetheless.

"Brilliant, just brilliant!" Azula exclaimed ecstatically then she turned back to the circus master again, a happy expression on her face, "Ooh, what kind of dangerous animals do you have?"

The circus master looked up at the princess with a relieved expression, hopeful that he can change the subject to the animals and possibly save Ty Lee from burning to death.

"Well, our circus boasts the most exotic assortment-"

"Release them all!" Azula ordered gleefully before the circus master could even finish, her gold eyes burning with barely concealed maliciousness as the circus master was forced to do her bidding.

* * *

Xiaodan walked into one of the camps the Omashu refugees had made in the surrounding mountains of Omashu with Aang and Flopsie, their heads hung low despondently. Katara and Sokka looked at each other then moved forward to greet the sad looking Air Nomads.

"We looked everywhere." Aang muttered sadly with his eyes downcast, "No Bumi."

Katara hugged the younger Airbender and Aang sighed sadly as he hugged her back, his head resting on her shoulder. Sokka smiled sadly at Xiaodan then wrapped an comforting arm around Xiaodan's shoulder and the white-haired girl wrapped an arm around his waist gratefully. Flopsie moaned sadly from behind him and the two older teens turned around and hugged the goat-gorilla's face to comfort the despondent creature.

"We've got a problem." Yung said as he approached the four teens, causing them to pull away from their hugs, "We just did a head count."

"Did someone get left behind?" Xiaodan asked worried as she and Katara turned to look at the Earth Kingdom soldier with worried expressions on their faces.

"No," Yung replied with a shake of his head as he pointed at something to the left, "We have an extra."

Katara and Xiaodan gazed in that direction, their eyes widening as they watched Momo stagger forward with a little baby clamped around his neck. The four teens stare at the baby and lemur for a second then Xiaodan rushed forward.

"Aww!" The white-haired girl cooed as she scooped the baby into her arms, unintentionally saving Momo, who chittered happily as he rushed over to Aang and climbed onto his shoulder.

* * *

The governor's wife sobbed brokenly as she sat on a chair on the balcony, her daughter standing beside her. Mai stared at her sobbing mother for a moment then slowly reached into her robe and pulled out a handkerchief which she gave to her mother, a bored expression on her face. The governor stared out at the city, his hands gripping the railing tightly, his sobbing wife, apathetic daughter, and two guards standing behind him.

"So, the resistance has kidnapped my son." The governor said quietly, "Everything so clever, so tricky. Just like their King Bumi."

The governor clenched his right hand into a fist and glared out at the city as one of the guards stepped forward.

"What do you want to do, sir?"

* * *

"What an exquisite performance." Azula praised as she stood behind Ty Lee, who was sitting at a small vanity in her tent, "I can't wait to see how you'll top yourself tomorrow."

Ty Lee smiled at Azula's reflection in the mirror as she placed the flowers the princess had given her on the vanity, "I'm sorry Azula, but unfortunately there won't be a show tomorrow."

"Really?" Azula questioned nonchalantly, her lips quirking slightly at the corner as she watched Ty Lee hang up the tiara that went with her costume.

"The universe has given me strong hints that it's time for a career change." Ty Lee replied as she stood and turned to face Azula, "I want to join you on your mission."

Azula smiled faintly in satisfaction as she looked at her friend.

* * *

Xiaodan giggled faintly as she watched the little Fire Nation baby toddled after Momo as she, her friends, a few of the resistance fighters, Flopsie and Appa sat around one of the many campfires. Momo cringed away from the baby and leapt out of the just in time to avoid being caught, which caused the baby to tumble forward right next to Sokka's club. The baby gurgled quietly and picked the club and began to suck on it.

"No!" Sokka snapped as he snatched the club out of the baby's grasp, "Bad Fire Nation baby!"

"Sokka!" Xiaodan reproached the Water Tribe boy sharply as the baby began to cry and she glared at him while Katara whacked her brother across the face and placed her hands on her hips in a motherly fashion.

"Oh…alright." Sokka grumbled in annoyance as he handed the club back to the baby, who giggled happily as he began to play with the club.

"Ooh, you're so cute." Katara cooed as she hugged the baby from behind and kissed his cheek, causing Sokka to look off to the side in annoyance, his head resting on his head.

"Absolutely adorable." Xiaodan agreed as she gently tickled the baby's side and kissed the top of his head, "Really, you are just too cute, little guy."

The baby giggled and cooed happily at the two girls as he continued to play with club in his hands, more than happy with the attention Katara and Xiaodan were bestowing him with.

"Sure he's cute now, but when he's older, he'll join the Fire Nation army." Yung grunted as he looked at the two girls playing with the baby across the fire under Sokka's exasperated scrutiny, "You won't think he's so cute then. He'll be a killer."

"Does that look like the face of a killer to you?" Katara asked as she picked the baby up and showed him to Yung, whose face remained totally indifferent.

"I doubt he'll be a killer." Xiaodan commented lightly as Katara passed her the baby and the white-haired girl cradled him expertly, "The War is going to be over by the time he's old enough to join the army."

The baby gurgled happily as he looked up at Xiaodan, his pudgy hand coming up to rest against her tattooed cheek, causing the white-haired girl to smile down at him fondly and pressed a motherly kiss against the palm of his pudgy little hand. Yung rolled his eyes slightly but before he could retort, the screech of hawk filled the air.

"A messenger hawk!" Yung exclaimed as he looked over at where the bird was perched on a rock a few feet away from their campfire.

Aang stood and walked over to the hawk, pulling out the small scroll out of the canister on the messenger hawk's back.

"It's from the Fire Nation governor. He thinks we kidnapped his son. So…he wants to make a trade. His son…" Aang explained after he had unrolled the scroll and began to read it then his eyes widened dramatically, "For King Bumi."

Everyone around the campfire stared at him in surprise, Xiaodan gently rocking the baby in her arms to sleep.

* * *

Aang stared at Omashu from atop one of the hills surrounding the city with the baby in his arms and Xiaodan standing beside him. The two walk down the hill they were standing on towards Katara and Sokka, who were waiting next to Appa.

"You realize we're probably walking right into a trap." Sokka stated matter-of-factly as he stood with his arms crossed.

"I don't think so. I'm sure the governor wants his son back as much as we want Bumi." Aang replied with a slight shake of his head as he handed the baby to Xiaodan, then he smiled at the sleeping baby in his sister's arms, "It's a new day. I have a good feeling about this."

* * *

Azula sat in her royal palanquin as it was carried up the stairs towards the governor of Omashu's house, Ty Lee walking beside her. At the base of the next set of stairs, Mai stood by herself as she awaited the arrival of the palanquin. Azula smirked faintly as the palanquin bearers stopped and she climbed out then she and Ty Lee approached Mai.

"Please tell you're here to kill me." Mai drawled as she placed her hands together and bowed slightly to Azula then she glanced up at the other girl, a faint smile appearing on her other emotionless face and both she and Azula chuckle quietly.

"It's great to see you, Mai." Azula said warmly as she placed her hands on Mai's shoulders then stepped back as Ty Lee rushed forward and embraced the blank-faced girl.

"I thought you ran off to join the circus." Mai addressed Ty Lee as she awkwardly patted the bubbly girl's back ,"You said it was your calling."

Ty Lee stepped back with a bright smile on her face, "Well, Azula called a little louder."

"I have a mission and I need you both." Azula cut in as she placed a hand on both of her friends' shoulders.

"Count me in." Mai said instantly as she gave the palace behind her an annoyed look, "Anything to get me out of this place."

* * *

Azula sat on the throne of Omashu, flanked by two Fire Nation guards as she looked down at Mai's family sitting on floor pillows on the ground in front of her.

"I apologize." The governor said respectfully as he looked up at the princess, "You've come to Omashu at a difficult time. At noon we're making a trade with the resistance to get Tom-Tom back."

"Yes, I'm so sorry to hear about your son, but really what did you expect by just letting all the citizens leave?" Azula demanded as she crossed her legs and clasped her hand then stood a moment later, her tone becoming harsher as she addressed the governor, "My father has trusted you with this city and you're making a mess of things!"

The governor and his wife leaned forward, their foreheads resting against the floor as they bowed before the irritated princess, along with Mai and Ty Lee who were sitting on side the governor's other side.

"Forgive me, Princess." The governor said softly without looking up at Azula.

Azula walked between the four people and turned to look down at the governor while Ty Lee and Mai got to their feet.

"You stay here." Azula ordered the governor and his wife, "Mai will handle the hostage trade so you don't have a change to mess it up."

Azula smirked slightly as she continued, "And there is no more 'Omashu.' I'm renaming it in honor of my father, the city of New Ozai."

* * *

Xiaodan stood beside and slightly behind Aang with Katara and Sokka, who was holding the squirming baby in his arms, stood behind them on a large wooden scaffolding. The four teens watched with serious expressions on their faces as three girls approached them, the girl that chased them the other night in the lead as crane began to lower a metal cage behind them. Xiaodan's eyes narrowed slightly when she saw that the cage contained Bumi and only his face was uncovered.

"Hi, everybody!" King Bumi called out with chuckle as the crane continued to lower the cage, causing both Aang and Xiaodan to smile slightly at the crazy king before looking back at the three girls just as the cage touched the ground behind the girls.

"You brought my brother?" Mai asked blandly.

"He's here." Aang replied as he gestured to where the baby was resting in Sokka's arms, "We're ready to trade."

"I'm sorry, but a thought just occurred to me." Azula said suddenly as she looked over at Mai, "Do you mind?"

"Of course not, Princess." Mai replied as Bumi followed the conversation, his eyes flickering for one speaker to the next.

"We're trading a two year old for a king." Azula stated as she looked up at Bumi, "A powerful, Earthbending king?"

"Mmm hmmm!" Bumi agreed as he nodded his head with a grin and Azula looked back at Mai.

"It just doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?"

Mai pondered the idea for a moment then looked at her brother, who yawned and happily rested his head against Sokka's shoulder.

"You're right." Mai agreed and Azula smiled slyly as Mai took a few steps forward, "The deal's off."

Mai held her hand up, gesturing for the guards to pull Bumi back up and the chains began to reel in from above, suspending the King in the air once again.

"Whoa!" King Bumi exclaimed, clearly amused by what was happening as he chuckled and snorted to himself, "See you all later!"

"Bumi!" Aang shouted as he and Xiaodan sprinted forward with their gliders at the ready, both of them using Airbending to increase their speed.

Azula leapt forward as well and sent a powerful stream of blue flames at the two Airbenders, but her attack was dodged easily as Aang jumped high into the air. The blue flames instead rushed towards Xiaodan, who created an air-shield just before the flames could touch her and her orange eyes went wide as the flames flared white for a moment then disappeared completely.

Xiaodan shook her head briefly and tilted her head back, watching as Aang briefly touched the scaffolding that surrounded a large statue of the Fire Lord before he pushed off it and snapped his glider open in midair, the shawl wrapped around his head falling off as he did so, leaving his arrow tattoo exposed. Aang barely managed to catch the orange fabric with his teeth as he continued to fly towards the metal cage Bumi was trapped in.

"The Avatar!" Azula said in surprise as she overcame her shock at Aang's impressive jump and she watched as the young Avatar began circling the king's coffin, a smirk appearing on her face, "My lucky day."

Xiaodan turned around to stare at the princess just in time to see Azula run towards a pulley and last through the rope that served as break, causing the winch to spin rapidly and Azula grabbed the rope, which pulled up rapidly towards the top of the construction scaffolding.

"Oh no, you don't." Xiaodan muttered as she rushed forward and began scaling the scaffolding easily, using Airbending to propel herself faster.

* * *

Azula sneered when she saw the white-haired girl climbing the side of the scaffolding and, holding the rope with one hand, Azula set a blue fireball at the other girl. Xiaodan saw the fireball coming and twisted to the side nimbly then continued to ascend the side of the construction framework.

Azula launched another fireball, nearly hitting the irksome white-haired girl but Xiaodan merely dispersed the fire blast with a strong breath of air. Xiaodan continued to dodge the blue fireballs the Fire Nation princess launched at her as she climbed to the top of the scaffolding.

* * *

Meanwhile, Aang snapped his glider shut as he landed on top of Bumi's cage.

"Aang, is that you?" Bumi questioned in surprise as he tilted his head back slightly to look at the younger Airbender, "Where did you come from?"

"Hang on! We're gonna get you out of here." Aang said in reply as he grabbed the chain and took a deep breath, then began blowing a cold wind on the chain near the top of the metal cage, causing the chain to slowly freeze.

* * *

On the ground, Mai and Ty Lee charged across the wooden scaffolding they were standing on towards Sokka and Katara. Mai readied her stilettoes while Katara took on a defensive position.

"We've got to get the baby out of here!" Katara shouted over her shoulder at her brother, who was blowing on the bison whistle.

"Way ahead of ya!" Sokka replied with a grin just as the baby took the whistle from him and began playing with it.

Katara nodded once and the two siblings ran towards the edge of the large platform, but just before they could reach it, Ty Lee's fist emerged from one of the holes in the floor and punched Sokka's foot which caused him to fall over and slide towards the edge on his back.

Sokka yelped quietly and clutched the baby to his chest as he prepared for the worst, but luckily he stopped sliding just before he fell off the edge. Katara caught sight of Ty Lee as she swung herself out of the hole in the floor and darted towards Sokka and Katara quickly Waterbended some water from her flask to attack the acrobatic girl when she noticed something behind her.

The Waterbender turned around and used her water-whip to lift up several wooden planks Justas Mai threw four knives at her. The knives embedded themselves in the wood in front of Katara's face just before they could pierce Katara's face and Katara used her water-whip again to launch the wooden boards at Mai then turned in one fluid motion towards Ty Lee, who had almost reached Sokka and the baby. Katara lashed out with her water-whip, wrapping it around Ty Lee's ankle and yanking the other girl to the ground which gave Sokka the time he need to get up and head for a nearby ladder. Sokka clutched the baby with one arm as he slide down the ladder and began to descend off the scaffolding.

* * *

Azula and Xiaodan had nearly reached the top of the scaffolding when the Fire Nation princess snarled and kicked a powerful fire blast at the white-haired girl. Xiaodan gave a wordless shout of surprise as she pushed herself off the scaffolding and spun around in midair, an air-shield surrounding her body just in time to disperse the blue flames.

As Xiaodan began to fall back to the wooden platform below, she used Airbending to propel herself forward and grabbed onto one of the exposed metal beams of the scaffolding. The white-haired girl swung herself up onto the beam, balance precariously on it as she glared up at Azula who was now several feet above her and still rising rapidly to the top.

"Better luck next time!" Azula called out mockingly with a sneer as she looked back at the top where she could see the Avatar perched at the top of the King's metal cage.

Xiaodan's eyes narrowed slightly then she threw herself from the metal beam she was balancing on and snapped her glider open, flying up towards the top speedily.

* * *

"Aang, stop your blowing for a minute." Bumi called out to Aang as the younger Airbender continued to try and freeze the chain with his breath.

The chain finally froze completely just as loud explosion occurred on top of the scaffolding and Aang turned just in time to see Azula be propelled into the air as she shot a plume of blue fire at him with a powerful kick.

Despite being startled by the princess sudden appearance and attack, Aang quickly deflected the flames with a strong gust of air he created by swinging his staff.

"Now hold on a-duahh!" Bumi started only to scream as he and Aang began to free-fall after Aang accidently broke the chain when he swung his staff.

Aang quickly turned Bumi's metal cage over and created a large airball underneath the cage just as they are about to crash into one of the mail chutes. The airball broke their fall and they began to rapidly slide down the chute they landed in. Azula watched the spectacle through narrowed eyes from atop the scaffolding and was about to rush over to a nearby chute when she was suddenly knocked to the side by a gust of wind.

The princess jumped to her feet just in time to see the white-haired girl flying away from the scaffolding towards the Avatar and the King. Azula growled quietly and ran towards the chute again. She jumped into one of the stone carts and began pursing the Avatar, the King, and the annoying white-haired Airbender.

* * *

"Just like old times, isn't it Bumi?" Aang addressed Bumi with a slight laugh as he stood on top of the metal cage as it raced down the delivery chute.

"Aang, I need to talk to you!" Bumi shouted in response, his expression serious.

"It's good to see you too!" Aang shouted as he grinned down at Bumi before h noticed the fast approach of something in the chute on his left.

Aang turned to see what it was just as Azula shot several blue fireballs towards him and Bumi from the cart she was standing on. Aang's eyes went wide and he lifted the staff to deflect the fireballs but before he could, Xiaodan landed in front of him on top of the metal cage and she twirled her staff, dispersing the blasts.

The two chutes merged together and Azula was now right behind them. Xiaodan thrusted her fist forward and sent a powerful gust of air at Azula, but the princess parted it by clasping her hands together. Azula smirked and retaliated with several fire blasts, causing both Xiaodan and Aang to yelp as they ducked underneath the blue flames. Aang began using paddle with his staff, increasing the speed of the metal cage as it slid down the chute while Xiaodan deflected more blue fireballs with her staff.

Aang, Xiaodan, and Bumi enter a portion of the chute that had wooden arches over it at short intervals. Aang looked up at the wooden arches then back at Azula, who was beginning to gain on them and he swung his staff, cutting through the arches with an air blade. The wooden arches collapsed upon the chute, catching Azula in the dust cloud that was kicked up by the falling debris.

When Azula's cart emerged from debris again, it was empty and the two Airbenders sighed in relief. However, their sighs quickly turned to screams as Azula appeared again, having ducked down into the cart to avoid the debris. The Fire Nation princess launched another stream of blue fire at them, causing Aang and Xiaodan to drop flat on their bellies beside each other to avoid the flames, panicked expressions on their faces.

* * *

Katara stood several feet from Mai and she lashed out with her water-whip, only for Mai to dodge by bending slightly backwards. The non-bender kicked her leg up as she bent backwards, shooting a stiletto out of a launcher attached to her leg. Katara easily blocked the weapon by pulled her water-whip back to her and freezing it into a wall of ice.

Mai took the opportunity to charge at Katara head on and stretched out her arm as she prepared to throw another stiletto. At that moment, Katara unfroze the water and sent water at Mai, capturing her right arm in the stream of water. The dark-haired Waterbender then froze the water, encasing Mai's whole right arm in ice. Mai's lip curled slightly as she tried to break the ice encasing her arm, but the ice held easily.

Ty Lee suddenly climbed onto the wooden platform behind Katara and the acrobat bounced forward, hitting Katara's arms several times with quick, light jabs then Ty Lee jumped back over to where Mai was standing. Katara gasped quietly in surprise at the attack and she loses control of her water stream, causing the water to splash harmless to the ground. Katara's brows furrowed as she tried to bend the water again, but the water only lifted a small amount before falling back down into a puddle.

"How are you gonna fight without your bending?" Mai asked tauntingly as she pulled a sai from her robe and aimed it at shocked Katara.

The blank-faced girl was about to throw the weapon when Sokka's boomerang appeared out of nowhere and knocked it out of her. Mai and Ty Lee spun around and their eyes widened slightly when they saw Sokka flying towards them on Appa.

"I seem to manage!" Sokka snapped as he caught the boomerang in one hand then landed Appa between Katara and the other two girls.

As he landed, Appa slammed his tail hard on the ground, sending Mai and Ty Lee flying off the scaffolding. Katara hurriedly climbed onto Appa's head and Sokka quickly snapped the reigns, urging the sky bison back into the air.

"There's Aang and Xia!" Katara exclaimed as she pointed to where the two Airbenders were sliding down one the deliver chutes on Bumi's metal cage with Azula following right behind them.

Sokka looked in the direction Katara pointed and nodded his head, "We can catch them!"

Appa gave a low growl as he changed course and headed towards Aang and Xiaodan.

* * *

Xiaodan twirled her staff in front of her and Aang defensively as Azula shot multiple fire blasts at them, sweat trickling down her temple as she focused on keeping the fireballs from hitting her and her brother while still rocketing down the chute. Appa suddenly pulled up beside them and Xiaodan let out a relieved sigh then swung her staff, sending a slice of air at Azula to distract her.

"Hang on, Bumi!" Aang shouted when he saw Appa with Katara and Sokka on his head, "Our ride's here!"

Appa swerved to avoid another blue fireball that Azula launched at him after ducking down into the cart to avoid the air blast Xiaodan had thrown at her. As Appa pulled closer to the chute again, Aang lifted the metal cage but hitting the side of the chute with a blast of air from his staff. Katara and Sokka attempted to grab hold of the metal cage as it passes over their heads, but it was just slightly too high for them to reach and it sails over Appa's other side.

Bumi screamed briefly as he, Aang, and Xiaodan fall through the air and the two Airbenders quickly move the metal cage into a more horizontal position in midair. The three grunted as their fall is broken by another chute as they land crosswise on it, breaking right through it. They fall down to another chute and start to slide down once again, Azula hot on their trail.

Xiaodan turned to face Azula just in time to watch the princess create a whirling disk of blue flames, which she then sends down the chute straight at Xiaodan, Aang, and Bumi and it gained on them rapidly. Bumi peeked around Aang and Xiaodan at the upcoming fire disk then clenched his teeth in effort as he jerked his chin up slightly. A pillar of rock suddenly rose in the middle of the chute, protecting the three from the fire disk and causing the two Airbenders to first at the rock pillar then down at Bumi in shock.

Azula gasped in surprise when she saw rock pillar blocking her path down the chute and she jumped out of the delivery cart in the nick of time and over the rock pillar as the cart smashed against it. The princess slid down the chute on foot for several minutes before coming to a stop in the middle of the chute, displeased and furious expression as Aang, Bumi, and Xiaodan continued there descent down the chute.

* * *

"You can Earthbend!?" Xiaodan demanded, her voice a few octaves higher than normal from shock while Aang stared down at Bumi in shock as well, "All along?"

"Well, they didn't cover my face!" Bumi replied with a snort of laughter then he clenched his teeth and jerked his chin up again, bending another pillar of rock at the end of the chute to stop their descent.

The metal cage slid up the rock pillar and twirled around, landing upright at the top of the pillar as Xiaodan and Aang jumped off the cage and landed in front of Bumi, who was smiling at them.

"I don't understand." Aang stated in a slightly annoyed and angry tone, "Why didn't you free yourself? Why did you surrender when Omashu was invaded? What the matter with you, Bumi?"

Xiaodan placed a gently hand on Aang's shoulder as the younger Airbender glared up at the old friend, his expression upset and confused.

"Listen to me, Aang." Bumi said calmly, "There are options in fighting, called jing. It's a choice of how you direct your energy."

"I know!" Aang exclaimed with an annoyed expression as held up two fingers, "There's positive jing when you're attacking and negative jing when you're retreating."

Bumi smiled happily at the two Airbenders, "And neutral jing when you do nothing!"

"There're _three_ jings?" Aang asked in shock as he held up a third finger, even Xiaodan blinked in confusion as she stared up at Bumi questionably.

"Well, technically there are eighty-five." Bumi stated idly then shook his head slightly, "But, let's focus on the third. Neutral jing is the key to Earthbending. It involves listening and waiting for the right moment to strike."

"That's why you surrendered then?" Xiaodan asked as understanding began to dawn on both her and Aang.

"Yes, and it's why I can't leave now." Bumi replied and Aang turned around sadly.

"I guess I need to find someone else to teach me Earthbending." Aang commented in disappointment and Xiaodan put her hand on his shoulder again in a comforting gesture as she looked at Bumi.

"Your teacher will be someone who has master neutral jing." Bumi explained calmly, "You need to find someone who waits and listens before striking."

Momo landed on Aang shoulder just then and Aang looked at the lemur in surprise and happiness.

"Hey, Momo!"

"Momo's mastered a few jings himself!" Bumi commented with a laugh and Momo screeched loudly at him.

Bumi's laughter died down and he looked at Aang and Xiaodan fondly.

"Goodbye, Aang, Xia." He said warmly, "I will see you when the time is right."

Bumi let the metal cage tumble backwards and he began to ascend the chute. He laughed and snorted like a madman as he used Earthbending to drive the metal cage back to the top of the chute, leaving Aang, Xiaodan, and Momo behind.

Xiaodan turned around and smiled slightly when she saw Appa appear behind her and Aang with Sokka and Katara sitting on his head.

"Come on, Aang." The white-haired girl said as she gently grabbed her brother's hand, "We still have something to do."

Aang nodded and smiled at his sister as he followed her over to Appa, Sokka, and Katara.

* * *

"So, we're tracking down your brother and Uncle, huh?" Mai questioned boredly as she and Ty Lee walked beside Azula's palanquin, heading back to the princess's ship.

Ty Lee turned slightly to face Mai and said in a teasing tone, "It'll be interesting seeing Zuko again, won't it, Mai?"

Mai looked away from the acrobat as a smiled played upon her normally expressionless face.

"It's not just about Zuko and Iroh anymore." Azula reproached slightly in a serious tone as she glared at the veil that surrounded her palanquin, "We have a third target now."

* * *

Aang and Xiaodan peered down over the rain gutter of the governor's house, staring down at the governor and his wife while they stood on the balcony below them, looking at the dark city with sad expressions on their faces as they held each other.

Xiaodan and Aang silently landed behind them and the white-haired girl smiled faintly as she lifted the little baby from the make-shift sling she had used to carry him then she placed him gently on his feet. The two Airbenders quickly leapt back onto the air as the baby toddled over to his parents. The two Air Nomads perched back on the roof and watched as the governor's wife turned around when they heard the baby's soft cooing.

"Tom-Tom!" The governor's wife exclaimed with a gasp of surprise and excitement as she rushed over to her son and scooped into her arms.

Xiaodan smiled softly as she watched the two parents joyfully cuddle the baby in their arms then she turned to Aang, her smile expression becoming affectionate when she saw the happy smile on his face as he stared down at the reunited family.

"Let's go." The white-haired girl whispered quietly and the two Airbenders took off on their gliders.

* * *

**Author's Note: Oy vey, this was a bit of a pain to write. Seriously, the first few episodes of season 2 are kicking my arse! I'm so freaking happy that The Swamp is the next chapter, because that's one of my favorites in season 2, cuz that's when Toph is introduced and that girl is a totally badass! I know this chapter is a day late and I apologize for that, I'm also going to apologize because updates are going to be sporadic for the next week or so. Anyhooties, next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 4: The Swamp, so stay tuned for that chapter because I think it's gonna be awesome!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are amazingly awesome and I lurves you muchos!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**BlueWinterMoon: **Thank you, I'm glad you like the story and Xiaodan so far! Haha, I'm glad my story managed to broaden your horizons in way. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Haha, sorry about that, it was surprising difficult to incorporate Xia into the last chapter, but I'm glad the parts with Zuko made up for the lack of Xia-action. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**LEbony02: **Awesome, I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Mira Severus-Sirius Black-Snape:** I liked this episode too, I absolutely adore Tom-Tom, he's such a cute little Fire Nation baby. Haha, I hope you liked this chapter!

**LadyAmazon: **Haha, The Cave of Two Lovers episode always made me laugh, Chong is such a funny character, especially because of how much he annoys Sokka. XD Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Anon Guest: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked how close to the episode the last chapter was. I try to keep each chapter as close to the actual episodes as possible, with the notable exception of adding Xiaodan into the story. Anyhooties, I hoped you liked this chapter!

**Anon: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I'm glad you thought Xia fit into the episode well. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**88dragon06: **Me too, the story of the two lovers really appeals to my inner romantic. XD Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Vicky Lexi Bennett:** I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I absolutely adore The Nightmare Before Christmas, after I get my Jack and Sally tattoo, I'm going to get an entire sleeve of different scenes and characters from the movie on my right arm. As for other tattoos, I've got a Trick Faerie on my left shoulder blade which I got for my 16th b-day and some Celtic knot work on the back of my neck which I got last year for my 17th b-day. And yeah, I'm still in high school but I do online schooling so it doesn't really matter if I have tattoos, I just have to make sure they aren't visible whenever I actually decided to go into the school building. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Cat of Flames: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Ya know, I never really thought about Sokka having a crush on Xia, they've always had more of a sibling-relationship in my head and I honestly can't see either of them developing a small crush on the other. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Yori neko: **I'm glad you like the story so far and I hope you liked this chapter too!


	25. Chapter 25: The Swamp

**AN: Chapter 25 takes place during Season 2 Episode 4: The Swamp. Hold onto your socks, my lovelies, we're gonna delve a little into Xiaodan's past/future in this chapter! Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

**PS – **_'Dreams/Thoughts/Memories'_

* * *

Iroh sat on a straw mat beside his nephew with the ostrich-horse lying behind them as he stared serenely at the people walking in the street, just as a cart with masks for sale passed by them.

"Spare coins for weary travelers?" Iroh asked inquiringly as he held his straw hat out to a man that was walking past.

The man stopped in front of Iroh and pulled out a couple copper coins, which he dropped inside Iroh's hat then he continued walking down the street.

"This is humiliating." Zuko growled angrily as he turned to stare at his uncle, "We're royalty! These people should be giving us whatever we want."

"They will if you ask nicely." Iroh replied easily then held his hand out to a young woman as she was passing by, "Spare change for a hungry old man?"

The woman smiled down at Iroh and withdrew a coin from her sleeve, placing it in the straw hat, "Here you go."

"The coin is appreciated, but not as much as your smile." Iroh said with a flirty smile, causing Zuko to slap his forehead in exasperation while the woman to giggle quietly behind her hand as she walked away.

As the young woman walked away, a man with a broadsword strapped to his back wondered up to Iroh and Zuko, a nasty smile appearing on his face.

"How about some entertainment for a gold piece?" The man asked with a smirk as he held up a gold coin.

"We're _not_ performers." Zuko snapped in annoyance as he leaned against the ostrich-horse and glared at the man from under the brim of his straw hat.

"Not professional anyway." Iroh said quickly as he go to his feet and began to sing, "It's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se, but the girls in the city, they look so pretty!"

"Come on, we're talking a gold piece here! Let's see some action." The man sneered as he unsheathed his broadswords, "Dance!"

The man began striking the ground near Iroh's feet and Iroh hopped up and down to dodge the attacks, singing as he did so.

"They kiss so sweet that you really got to meet the girls from Ba Sing Se!" Iroh sang and the man laughed as he stopped striking the ground with his swords.

"Ha, ha! Nothing like a fat man dancing for his dinner! Here ya go!" The man cackled loudly then tossed the gold coin on the ground and walked away, still chortling to himself.

Iroh picked up the coin and tucked it away then sat back down as he smiled serenely.

"Such a nice man." Iroh commented in a placid tone, unaware of the angry glare Zuko was leveling at the retreating man's back.

* * *

As Appa flew over a swampy area Xiaodan leaned against the side of the saddle as she used a rag to clean her glider carefully while Sokka sharpened his machete from his spot sitting at the front of the saddle and Katara read a scroll opposite him. Aang stared down at the swamp below them as he held Appa's reins, his gray eyes fixated on the brief flashes of water in the swamp in a trance-like stare. He was completely unaware of the way Appa had begun to slowly descend towards the swamp below.

Xiaodan stopped cleaning her staff and looked around, her brow furrowing slightly when she realized that Appa was slowly flying towards downwards. To her left Sokka was looking around as well then he put down his machete and peered over the edge of saddle curiously.

"Hey, you taking us down for a reason?" Sokka asked curiously as he looked over at where Aang was sitting on Appa's head, but the younger Airbender continued to stare trance-like at the swamp as if he didn't hear Sokka, "Aang!"

Aang snapped out of his apparent trance and looked over at Sokka, who continued speaking.

"Why are we going down?" Sokka asked as he leaned over the front of the saddle, Xiaodan moving over to kneel beside him.

"What?" Aang asked in confusion as he wiped at his eyes with an arm, "I didn't even notice."

"Are you noticing now?" Sokka asked sardonically as Appa continued to fly towards the swamp.

"Is something wrong?" Katara inquired as she moved over to stand on her brother's other side.

Xiaodan shrugged then she Airbended herself from the saddle and landed beside Aang on the sky bison's head, "Are you alright, little brother?"

Aang glanced at her then looked back at the swamp, "I know this is gonna sound weird, but I think the swamp is calling to me."

"Is it telling you where we can get something to eat?" Sokka muttered as he put a hand on his stomach and peered down at the swamp.

"No, I…" Aang paused, his expression becoming confused, "I think it wants us to land there."

Sokka made a face and rolled his eyes slightly while Katara and Xiaodan looked down at the swamp from their positions.

"No offense to the swamp, but I don't see any land there to land on." Sokka quipped drily with a small shrug of his shoulders and Aang gave him a slightly annoyed look over his shoulder.

"I don't know." Aang replied with a shrug of his own as he looked first at the swamp then at the gray sky, "Bumi said to learn Earthbending I would have to wait and listen, and no I'm actually hearing the earth. Do you want me to ignore it?"

Katara, Sokka, and Momo looked over Appa's saddle down at the swamp, while Xiaodan leaned to side to peer over Appa's head to do the same.

"Yes." Sokka responded matter-of-factly.

"I don't know." Katara said after a moment as she continued to look at the swamp for a moment then over at Aang, "There's something ominous about that place."

Xiaodan sat back and scratched her head slightly, "It _is_ a little creepy looking."

Momo chittered quietly and hid underneath Appa's saddle and the sky bison rumbled lowly, in apparent agreement.

"See, even Appa and Momo don't like it here." Sokka stated as he and Katara moved back over to the front of the saddle to look at Aang and Xiaodan, both of whom glanced over their shoulders at the Water Tribe siblings.

"Okay, since everyone feels so strongly about this, bye swamp." Aang said as he glanced at the swamp briefly then flicked Appa's reins, "Yip-yip!"

Appa rumbled again and began to fly upward, away from the swamp. Xiaodan patted the flying bison's head gently then Airbended herself back into the saddle, something catching her eye just as she landed in the middle of the saddle. Xiaodan turned around just as Sokka did and the two older teens' eyes became huge when they saw the tornado that was heading straight for them.

"You better throw in an extra 'yip!'" Sokka yelped loudly, causing Katara and Aang to turn around, "We gotta move!"

Appa began to fly faster in an attempt to avoid the approaching tornado, but the tornado appeared to move closer despite Appa's attempts to outrun it. As the tornado got closer to the group of friends, the wind pulled Sokka right off Appa's saddle. Katara just managed to grab her brother's hand, keeping him from flying into the tornado as she clutched the side of Appa's saddle with one hand.

"Sokka!" Xiaodan shouted worried then thrusted her arms out and created an air shield around Appa's body just as Aang leapt into the saddle beside her and helped her keep the air shield up as they were sucked into the tornado.

Sokka grunted as he fell back into the saddle and Katara hurriedly helped him to his feet as Xiaodan and Aang strained to keep the air shield around them. Slowly, one of Appa's legs began to stick out of the air shield a moment later the air shield broke, causing Aang, Xiaodan, Sokka, and Katara to be ripped from Appa's saddle. The four teens screamed and Appa roared as the tornado whipped them around a few times before spitting them out into the swamp in two different directions.

Aang, Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka all screamed loudly as they fell through the trees and into the swamp. Katara and Sokka landed in the muddy swamp water while Aang and Xiaodan used Airbending to slow their descent. The two Airbenders landed lightly on their feet while Sokka and Katara stood back up, mud covering bits of their clothing.

"Where's Appa and Momo?" Aang asked worriedly as he looked around then used Airbending to climb to the top of the trees, his eyes straining for any sign of the sky bison and lemur, "Appa! Momo!"

Xiaodan shook her head to clear then she looked around the swamp curiously, Katara standing beside her while Sokka stood a few feet in front of them.

"Sokka, you've got an elbow leech." Katara pointed out as she pointed at her brother.

Sokka started dancing around as he looked for the creature, "Where? Where?"

"Where do you think?" Katara asked sarcastically as she crossed her arms over her chest, causing Xiaodan to snicker quietly.

"Why do things keep attaching to me?!" Sokka shouted in exasperation as he ripped the elbow leech off his elbow and threw it over his shoulder, causing Katara to duck as it flew over her head and into the water behind her.

The dark-haired girl glared at her brother angrily just as Aang reappeared, swinging over the muddy swamp water on a vine.

"Any sign of them?" Xiaodan asked as she walked over to her brother as he dropped down into the water.

"No," Aang replied with a shake of his head, "And the tornado…It just disappeared."

Xiaodan pursed her lips and she turned her head to stare at the darkness in the swamp, Katara and Sokka following her gaze a moment later.

* * *

Appa grumbled lowly as hung in the air, trapped in a net of vines while Momo perched in his saddle. The lemur chittered quietly as he climbed out of the saddle and over to one of the vines. Momo began chewing on the vine until it snapped then he repeated the process until all the vines were cut and he and Appa fell into the muddy water.

Appa got to his feet and shook the water from his fur then took off into the air again, only to fly straight into another net of vines and entrapping himself again. Momo hovered in front of Appa's face and chittered angrily at the sky bison, who rumbled lowly at the lemur. Momo chittered again then flew over to the vines and began cut the vines with his teeth again.

* * *

"We better speed things up." Sokka stated as he began hacking at some vines with his machete.

"Maybe we should be a little nicer to the swamp." Aang commented as he watched Sokka cut the vines up warily.

"Aang, these are just plants." Sokka retorted with a roll of his eyes as he continued to hack at the vines, "Do you want me to say 'please' and 'thank you' as I swing my machete back and forth?"

"You should listen to Aang, Sokka." Xiaodan mumbled, her orange eyes flickering about the swamp cautiously as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest, "Something feels really weird about this place."

"It feels almost…_alive_." Katara added, her own gaze flickering around nervously.

"I'm sure there are lots of things that are alive here." Sokka said drily as he turned to look at the other three, "And if we don't wanna wind up getting eaten by them, we need to find Appa as fast as we can."

Sokka turned back and started to slice through the vines again. Xiaodan shook her head and crossed her arms even tighter, her spine tingling with the unnerving feeling that they were being watched.

* * *

Appa walked through the muddy ground of swamp, leaving a trail of footprints behind as he trudged through the swamp with Momo sitting in his saddle. Appa paused in front of a tree trunk, ducking his head slightly to peer at the small opened between the curved branch and the ground then the sky bison lifted his head to look over the tree branch.

Appa grumbled lowly and collapsed on the ground in front of the branch with his six legs spread out on either side of him. Momo chittered curiously and scurried over to the supplies at the back of the saddle, grabbing the bison whistle. The lemur brought the whistle to his mouth and blew on it, causing his fur to stand on end at the noise. Appa's ears perked slightly and he roared slightly at Momo in annoyance until the lemur stopped blowing on the whistle.

Momo looked at Appa curiously then blew on the whistle again and the bison smacked him with his tail. Appa lifted his tail and Momo dropped the whistle then he tried to stand but stumbled sideways then fell onto his back with a quiet chitter.

* * *

"Appa!" Katara called out as she followed her brother through a foggy part of the swamp with Aang and Xiaodan walking behind her, "Momo!"

"There's no way they can hear us and no way we can see them." Sokka stated as he looked over his shoulder at his sister then looked up at the trees as he continued walking along the thick tree root they were standing on, "We'll have to make camp for the night."

Suddenly, several flies swarmed around Sokka and he began slashing at them with his machete in an attempt to shoo them away from him before giving up as his shoulders slumped forward. Just then, a huge bubble of swamp gas rose up from the muddy water below the branch the four teens were standing on then burst with a hiss.

"What was that?" Katara asked nervously as she and Aang shuffled closer to Sokka while Xiaodan looked down at the water curiously.

"Nothing, just swamp gas." Sokka replied then gestured towards the visible fumes floating towards them, "Look, there's nothing supernatural going on here."

The four teen groaned simultaneously and covered their noses with their hands as the horrible smell from the swamp gas reached them. An ominous scream suddenly cut through the silence of the swamp and the four teens yelped as they huddled together in fear. Xiaodan, Katara, Aang, and Sokka stared at a branch across from them where a small, white bird was perched and watched as it opened its mouth, the same terrifying scream emitting from its large mouth.

"I think we should build a fire." Sokka said as his eyes shifted from side-to-side nervously then he rushed over to a nearby tree and began to cut off pieces of the roots with his machete.

Katara and Aang walked over towards him while Xiaodan trailed behind them, her orange gaze flickering about warily.

"Sokka, the longer we're here, the more I think you shouldn't be doing that." Aang stated, gesturing at the way Sokka was cutting up the tree root.

"No, I asked the swamp. It said it was fine. Right, swamp?" Sokka said as he grabbed a nearby root and shook it, faking a reply, "'No problem, Sokka!'"

Xiaodan winced and glanced around again as the young Water Tribe warrior continued chopping up the roots while Aang looked on with a somewhat annoyed expression on his face.

* * *

Xiaodan, Katara, Aang, and Sokka huddled around the small fire Sokka had managed to light.

"Does anyone else get the feeling that we're being watched?" Katara asked as she looked around the swamp warily, her lips pursed slightly.

"I do." Xiaodan replied quietly, eyes flicking about restlessly.

"Please," Sokka snarked as he tried to use his machete to scare the fly buzzing around him off, "We're all alone out here."

The fly suddenly turned into a big, shining ball of light and flew off behind the four teens, revealing several pairs of glowing eyes that were staring down at them.

"Except for them…" Aang said nervously as the glowing bug disappeared along with the eyes.

"Right," Sokka croaked fearfully as the four friends turned back to the fire and huddled together again, "Except for them."

* * *

Appa laid on a giant tree branch, fast asleep as Momo scurried across his back, his large ears swiveling around as the lemur listened to all the sounds that were coming from the swamp around them. Appa's ears twitched slightly as he listened to Momo and the other noises then sky bison snapped his eyes opened and roared loudly. The noises stopped instantly and Momo settled down on Appa's saddle. The lemur's eyes drifted closed as he began to fall asleep when a sudden noise caused his eyes snap back open and his ears to perk up.

* * *

Xiaodan, Aang, Katara, and Sokka huddled together near the burning embers of their fire. All four of them were fast asleep, their backs pressed together for protection. A vine suddenly snaked its way to Sokka's leg, which was sticking out, and the vine began to wind around the young man's leg then up Sokka's whole body.

More vines slithered across the ground to the remaining three teens and began to wind around their unsuspecting bodies until each of them was bound by three or four vines each. For a moment, the teens remain asleep but they all wake up screaming bloody murder when the vines simultaneously yanked them in four different directions.

Sokka shouted as he wiggled an arm free and slammed his machete into the ground, preventing the vines from pulling him any farther away while Katara, Aang, and Xiaodan were dragged off, screaming into the fog surrounding the area.

Sokka grunted in determination as he used his machete to pull himself up slightly, then he yanked the blade from the ground and began hacking at the vines wrapped around his body. The young Water Tribe warrior breathed heavily as he got to his feet after freeing himself from the vines and began running back down the tree root as more vines pursued him.

* * *

"Ah!" Katara yelped as she struggled to free herself from the vines wrapped around her body.

The dark-haired girl managed to get the cork off her flask and quickly Waterbended a water-whip, which she used to cut through her binds. More vines come at her and Katara expertly slashes at them with the water-whip until she was able to run off into the mist surrounding her.

* * *

Xiaodan shouted in frustration and fear as more vines began slithering around her body, trapping her. The white-haired girl gave another shout as she leapt into the air and twisted her body around, creating a mini-tornado around her body that ripped the vines encasing her to shreds.

Xiaodan shook her head and used Airbending to propel herself up into the trees, weaving between the branches and leaves as she dodged the vines that were chasing after her. A yelp escaped her lips when she felt a vine wrap around her right ankle and she was yanked off her feet, slamming chest-first against the tree branch she had been running on. The air left Xiaodan's lungs in a harsh groan but she quickly rolled onto her back and kicked her other foot our, launching herself through the air backwards and snapping the vine that was wrapped around her leg.

The white-haired girl flipped through the air, landing on another branch then she began darted forward and disappeared into the fog surrounding the swamp.

* * *

Aang wiggled against the vines entrapping him then he created a bubble of air around himself and expanded it, causing the vines to be pushed away from his body. The younger Airbender collapsed the bubble when his bonds loosened and he quickly jumped away from the vines and into the surrounding trees while more vines began to pursue him.

Aang jumped from branch-to-branch, dodging the vines that were coming at him from behind. The bald boy jumped towards another branch but was yanked to the ground by a vine that had wrapped around his foot and Aang grunted when he hit the shallow water below. He quickly broke free of the vine by using Airbending to propel himself backwards then he jumped to his feet and continued running through the trees. Aang stopped running after a few minutes and stood on a thick tree root, looking around worriedly and confusedly for his three friends.

"Guys?" He called out as the fog began to clear around him as the sun began to rise.

* * *

Two men in animal skin and leaf loincloths stared down at the large footprint fill with swamp water curiously.

"What'd ya reckon make a track like that, Tho?" The tall, skinny man asked the short fat man standing beside him curiously.

"Don't know Due." Tho replied as he shrugged then he pointed his stick at the footprint, "Something with six legs. Pretty big'uns too."

Due scratched his head as he looked at the tracks in the mud, "Leaves a nice, wide trail to folla'."

"You know what's at the end of that trail?" Tho asked with a smirk then he glanced up at his companion, who shook his head in the negative.

"Dinner."

* * *

Appa rumbled low in his chest as he swam through the marshy water with Momo sitting atop his head. A fly buzzed around Momo and the lemur watched the insect with rapt attention, his green eyes shifting from side-to-side. The fly suddenly flew off and Momo leapt off Appa's head to chase after it. The lemur hopped from tree root to tree root as he chased after the fly, finally coming to a stop on the last tree root as he snatched the fly from the air. Suddenly, Momo let go of the fly when the tree root he was perched on turned out to be the back of catfish-crocodile. Momo leapt into the air just as the catfish-crocodile roared and snapped its jaws at the lemur.

Momo gave a quiet screech as he flew back to Appa, the catfish-crocodile in hot pursuit. Momo landed on Appa's head and the sky bison opens his mouth wide as the pursing catfish-crocodile reached him. Appa snapped his mouth shut on the catfish-crocodile and it began to thrash its tail for a moment then Appa spat the swamp creature back out. Momo and the catfish-crocodile hissed at each other for a moment, then the swamp creature swam off. Appa shook his head and rumbled lowly as if in exasperation.

* * *

"Aang!" Katara called out as she walked through an area of the swamp where the tree roots were covered with fragrant, white flowers, "Sokka! Xia!"

The dark-haired girl looked around worriedly then her eyes widened when she caught sight of another Water Tribe woman standing several yards ahead with her back to Katara. The young Waterbender's brow furrowed slightly and she began walking towards the woman.

"Hello? Hello? Can you help me?" Katara called out and she squinted at the figure, "Mom?"

"Mom!" Katara exclaimed loudly as she began running towards the figure, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.

Katara reached the figure and placed her hand on her shoulder only, a happy smile on her tanned face.

"I can't believe…" Katara trailed off as the area around her brightened and her smile faded when she saw a tree stump standing where the figure had been.

The dark-haired girl gasped when she realized that the figure had been an illusion then she fell to her knees and began to sob heartbrokenly.

* * *

"Aang! Stupid swamp! Xia! " Sokka growled as he slashed at the vines he was walking through with his machete, "Dumb, ugly vines! Katara! You think you're so tough, huh?"

Sokka stomped on the vines in front of him, only to get his foot tangled in them. The Water Tribe boy growled angrily and slashed at the vine, tripping over it a moment later and falling face first into the mud. Sokka lifted his head and scowled angrily, but his scowl disappeared a second later when he saw an image of Yue in a beam of light several feet in front of him. Sokka carefully got to his feet and put his machete away then he began walking towards Yue.

"Hello? Yue?" Sokka questioned warily then shook his head as he turned away from the image of Yue and began to ramble, "This is just a trick of the light…swamp gas…I…uh, hit my head running away last night. I'm going crazy."

"You didn't protect me." Yue's voice sounded from behind him and Sokka whirled around to stare at her.

The young man rubbed is eyes in disbelief then dropped his hands, sighing in relief when he saw the image of Yue had disappeared. Sokka shook his head again as he turned around and promptly fell over with a yelp upon seeing Yue right before his eyes. The image of Yue disappeared immediately afterward and Sokka jerked his head around to look at the beam of light he had originally seen Yue in, sighing quietly when he didn't see her again.

* * *

Xiaodan leapt onto a thick tree branch high above the swamp, placing her hand against the trunk as she looked around.

"Aang?!" She shouted loudly then jumped to another branch, her eyes searching the ground below for any sign of her friends, "Katara? Sokka!?"

Xiaodan paused just before she was about to jump to another branch when she saw a small amount of movement from the corner of her eye and she turned her head to the left curiously. The white-haired jumped from the branch and landed nimbly on the ground, wondering over to the tree she had first seen the movement.

"Guys?" She called out warily as she walked around the tree, tilting her head to side when she caught sight of the lone figure standing on a thick tree root a few feet in front of her.

Xiaodan used Airbending to propel herself forward and she landed lightly on the root, then walked closer figure.

"Hello? Are you alright?" Xiaodan questioned as she took a step closer.

Suddenly the figure whirled around and swung a pair of dao swords at her head, causing Xiaodan to yelp as she jerked away from the attack and tripped backwards, landing on her butt on the root.

"Zuko?!" Xiaodan squeaked as she stared up at the scarred prince standing in front as he pressed the tips of his dao blades against her throat.

Xiaodan stared up into his gold eyes, her own molten orange eyes wide with shock and slight fear. Those same gold eyes narrowed slightly then he suddenly spun away from her and darted towards the trees, leaving Xiaodan to stare at his back in bewilderment.

"Wait!" Xiaodan shouted and leapt to her feet then she raced after the banished prince.

Xiaodan weaved between the trees and jumped over roots as she chased after what she thought was Zuko, who somehow managed to stay several feet ahead despite the fact that Xiaodan was using Airbending to increase her speed.

"Spirits, Firebug, would you _stop_!" Xiaodan called in irritation then skidded to a stop when she reached a small clearing in the middle of the swamp and she looked around, but the scarred prince was nowhere to be found.

"Firebug?" She called out as she turned in a circle, her brow furrowing in confusion, "Hello, Zuko?"

Xiaodan shook her head in utter confusion and turned around to head back the way she had come only to freeze in place when she saw something was blocking her path. Bright orange eyes that mirrored her own watched her calmly and Xiaodan's breath began to leave her in quick pants, panic surging through her as she stared at the massive dragon that was standing in front of her.

Xiaodan gave a fearful squeak and stumbled backwards when the dragon took a step forward. The dragon paused and tilted its head to the side curiously as it regarded the terrified Airbender standing in front it for a moment then stepped to the side. The white-haired girl's eyes widened even further and her jaw dropped slightly as the dragon seemed to shrink and its body began to change until a woman in her late twenties was standing where the dragon had been, her bright orange eyes serene. Xiaodan shifted slightly as the woman stepped towards her and Xiaodan noticed that the tattoos on the woman's face and body where similar to Xiaodan's own.

"Who are you?" Xiaodan demanded, taking a step back as the woman continued to approach, "Where are my friends?"

The woman merely smiled serenely as she came to stop right in front of Xiaodan then reached her hands up, placing her thumbs against the tattoo between Xiaodan's eyes while her index fingers rested against her temples. Xiaodan gasped, her whole body tensing at the woman's touch as images suddenly bombarded her mind.

'_A young woman with black hair and molten orange eyes stood in the middle of a stone bridge. The woman folded her hands in a pray-position in front of her and closed her eyes, holding the position for a moment then the woman began to move. _

_The woman's movements were fluid and graceful as she shifted from one stance to the next, multicolored flame shooting from her hands and feet. As the woman performed the ancient Firebending technique, two dragons emerged from two caves on either side of the bridge the woman was dancing on and they began to fly around the bridge and each other with the woman Firebending in the middle. Suddenly, the woman stopped dancing and the dragons crouched on either side of the bridge she was standing on then simultaneously the dragons breathed fire at the woman, engulfing her in the flames and suddenly the image of the woman and the two dragons was replaced by the image of a giant massive, moss and vine covered tree…'_

Xiaodan gasped and she snapped her eyes open, unaware that she had even closed them as she collapsed to the ground on her hands and knees, her breathing coming in short pants as she came back from the vision. The white-haired lifted her head slowly and blinked in surprise as she got to her feet and looked around the clearing she was in. The woman was gone.

* * *

"Xia! Katara!" Aang called out as he jumped from tree root to tree root as he looked for his friends, "Appa!"

Aang huffed slightly as he waded through the swamp then paused when he noticed an unfamiliar girl in dress standing on a hill several yards in front of him, a winged swine at her side.

"Hello?" Aang called out to the mysterious girl as he walked forward, "Who are you?"

The swine suddenly flew off and girl began to giggle as she ran down the other side of the hill, out of Aang's sight.

"Hey, come back!" Aang shouted as he used Airbending to jump onto the top of the hill.

Aang looked at the around in confusion then spun around when he heard the girl's laughter again, catching a glimpse of her as she disappeared behind the trunk of a tree. The young Avatar used the vines to swing across the swamp towards the branch he saw the girl standing on before she disappeared and he swung over the branch. Aang heard her giggling again and he quickly changed course, heading back to branch and landing on it just in time to see the girl running towards another tree on ground. Aang dropped to the ground and ran behind the same tree the girl did, frowning when he saw nothing but then he heard her laughter again and he caught sight of her just as she raced across a branch that connected two trees high in the air. Aang quickly climbed up to the branch and ran after the mysterious girl.

* * *

Appa swam through the marshy river water with Momo sitting on his head then he came to a stop as the thin fog that was further upstream parted to reveal six men divided over three canoes, Due and Tho sitting in the middle canoe. The two animals and the six men stared at each in silence for a moment and Tho licked his lips. The silence continued for another moment and then Momo chittered curiously at them.

"Look at that, Tho." Due said as squinted his eyes slightly to get a better look at Momo sitting atop Appa's head, "Is that a little hairy fella ridin' that thing?"

"No, that's what they call a 'lemoo.'" Tho replied with a shake of his head, "Saw one at a traveling show once. Real smart they say."

"Bet he tastes a lot like possum chicken." Due commented eagerly and Tho rolled his eyes.

"You think everything tastes like possum chicken."

"C'mon now, fellas. Just a little closer." Due addressed Appa and Momo as he leaned forward slightly and held his hand out, "Nice and easy. Nothin' to worry about .We just fixin' to eat ya."

Appa growled lowly and spun around, racing off in the opposite direction.

"What'd ya say that fer?" Tho demanded in annoyance as he glared at the skinnier man.

"Well, we are!" Due retorted as he made a 'don't' blame me' type of gesture with his hands.

"But you don't have to tell 'em that." Tho snapped in exasperation.

"Well, how'd I know they'd understand me?"

Tho just shook his head and scowled slightly at his companion, "Come on!"

Due huffed and stood up at the front of the canoe then began pinwheeling his arms, bending the water behind his canoe in order to chase Appa while the other two canoes followed.

* * *

The mysterious girl as she disappeared behind another tree and Aang chased after her hurriedly, jumping over a couple tree roots as he looked around. He heard the girl's familiar laughter up ahead and he quickly ran in that direction, brushing aside some moss that was hanging from a branch.

"Who are you?" Aang asked curiously as he looked at the figure of the girl standing on a thick tree root several yards away, then he began running towards her.

Aang felt relieve as he came closer to the girl and she didn't disappear again and he stretched his arm out towards her. His eyes went wide as the image of the girl suddenly changed to Katara, who was turning around. Aang dropped his arm and tried to skid to a stop but the root was too slippery and he ended up crashing into Katara, sending them both tumbling down the branch.

Nearby, Sokka tensed and raised his machete threateningly when he heard the noise only to get knocked off his feet by the still falling Katara and Aang. The three teens groaned in pain as they slid down a thick, curved root before coming to a stop in the middle of the root's curve.

"What do you guys think you're doing?!" Sokka demanded as he got to his feet and put his hands on his hips, "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Well, I've been wandering around looking for you!" Katara retorted angrily as she sat up and put a hand to her head.

"I was chasing some girl." Aang replied as he sat up and looked to the side.

"What girl?" Katara asked curiously and Aang shrugged as he got to his feet.

"I don't know." The young Airbender said as he helped Katara to her feet, "I heard laughing and I saw some girl in a fancy dress."

"Well, there must be a tea party here and we just didn't get our invitations!" Sokka snapped sarcastically as he threw his hands in the air.

"I thought I saw Mom." Katara stated quietly as she closed her eyes and bowed her head.

Sokka stared at his sister for a moment then shook his head, "Look, we were all just scared and hungry and our minds were playing tricks on us. That's why we all saw things out here."

"You saw something too?" Katara questioned her brother, lifting her head to give him a curious look.

"I thought I saw Yue." Sokka mumbled in reply as he turned his back on his sister and Aang then whirled around to face them again, "But, that doesn't prove anything. Look, I think about her all the time, and you saw Mom, someone you miss a lot."

"What about me?" Aang asked as he tilted his head slightly, "I didn't know the girl I saw. And all our visions led us right here. But where's Xia?"

Aang pursed his lips and began walking along the branch, looking for his sister.

"Okay…so where's here?" Katara questioned as she stared at Aang then looked around, "The middle of the swamp?"

"It's the heart of the swamp."

The three teens jumped and tilted their head back, staring in surprise at Xiaodan, who was hanging upside down from one of the branches of the massive tree they were standing in front of.

"Xia!" Aang exclaimed happily as he watched the white-haired girl flip of the branch and land lightly in front of him, "Did you see something that led you here too?"

"You could say that." Xiaodan replied with a shrug of her shoulder as she turned to look up at the tree and gestured towards it with one hand, "It's been calling us here."

"I knew it." Aang stated with a smile as he looked up at the massive tree.

"It's just a tree." Sokka deadpanned as he rolled his eyes at the two Airbenders, "It can't call anyone. For the last time, there's nothing after us and there's nothing magical happening here."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a massive creature made of vines and lichen burst from the water, causing the four teens to scream loudly as they huddled together on the thick root. The swamp monster swung an arm at the teens and they scattered, running in four different directions. Sokka screamed when the monster suddenly wrapped vines around his leg and yanked him off his feet then the monster began swinging him around.

"Sokka!" Xiaodan shouted then made a slashing motion with her arm, sending a crescent of air at the swamp monster which cut through the vines that made up the monster's arm, freeing Sokka.

Xiaodan's eyes went wide as the monster swung its other arm at her and sent her flying several feet into the air. The white-haired girl grunted painful when she landed roughly on a thick branch, her head swimming from where she had knocked it against the mossy wood. Aang cried out in shock when he saw his sister get it then he spun around and sent an air blade at the swamp monster, cutting it's already damaged arm further. The swamp monster swung its arm and knocked Aang back into the trees in retaliation.

Meanwhile, Sokka slashed at the vines that were still wrapped around him with his machete before something behind him caught his eyes. The Water Tribe boy's jaw went slack and he stared in shock as the vines rejoined with the swamp monster's arm. Sokka shouted again as the monster wrapped its newly reformed arm around him and picked him up again. The swamp monster appeared to look around for a moment then it tried to surf away.

Katara stared determined as she Waterbended the swamp water beneath and surfed towards the swamp monster holding her brother hostage. The dark-haired girl slid to a stop in front of the monster and sent a blade of water at it, damaging the arm that was wrapped around her brother. The monster reared back and Katara walked towards it warily, her arms raised defensively then her jaw dropped as she watched vines repair the damage she had inflicted on the swamp monster's arm.

The swamp monster swung its free arm at the Waterbender but Katara ducked and ran behind the creature then she knocked it backwards with a powerful wave. Sokka screamed as he was swung violently through the air, still trapped in the swamp monster's grasp as the creature was propelled backwards before slamming into a thick, raised tree root.

Katara stared open-mouthed at the creature for a moment before her expression became determined again and she ran towards the monster, bending the water on either side of her away from her and the creature as she ran. She had almost reached the creature when it a bunch of vines shot out its stomach area and sent her flying past Aang and Xiaodan, who had been racing towards the monster to help. The two Airbenders turned slightly to stare at Katara worriedly before twisting back around to face the creature, only to get knocked backwards by the monster again.

The monster pulled its third arm of vines back to its body, shifting it so that the vines wrapped around Sokka were now coming from its stomach area then the monster began pulling Sokka into its body as the Water Tribe boy began to struggle in an attempt to get free.

* * *

Appa dodged trees and leapt over roots as he ran away from the swamp people while Momo sat in the saddle and threw the four teens' possessions at the swamp people that were still chasing them.

Due yelped slightly and rubbed at his head with one hand after getting hit in the head by something the lemur threw while the other continued to bend the water beneath the canoe. Momo threw one of Sokka's shirt at the swamp people, hitting one of the men in the face , which caused him to lose control of his canoe which flipped over a moment later.

"Now what would a lemoo need a shirt fer?" Tho muttered after seeing the other man crash his canoe when he was blinded by the shirt, then Tho shook his head and continued to steer his own canoe after the lemur and sky bison.

Appa panted heavily as he ran away from the swamp people and ducked underneath a branch. Momo was caught unaware and slammed into the branch, falling off Appa's saddle and straight into the drawstring sack Tho was holding up. Tho calmly closed the drawstrings and dropped the sack at his feet then he began steering the canoe again.

* * *

Sokka grunted as he tried to cut the vines wrapped around with his machete while the swamp monster shuffled through the water, straining to both cut the vine and keep it away from his face. Aang and Xiaodan raced towards the swamp monster on air scooters, the two Airbenders riding the air scooters up the monster's body as it slashed its arm at them. Xiaodan and Aang reached the monster's head, their air scooters dissipating as they Airbended a tornado around the swamp monster's body together, twisting and tangling up the vines it was made of.

The two Air Nomads leapt of the monster's head just as Katara ran up a thick tree root and stood in front of the monster, her arms moving fluidly as she breathed out icy, frozen air around the vines holding Sokka prisoner against the tangled swamp monster. Katara then slashed her arms downward, loosening the ice sphere she had partially encased her brother in then she bended the water bending her and used it to propel herself towards Sokka, knocking them both through the swamp monster's body.

The Water Tribe siblings grunted as they landed in the water and Xiaodan hurriedly helped them back to their feet as they watched the swamp monster repair the gaping hole in its stomach area with more vines. The swamp monster lumbered towards the three teens threateningly before Aang suddenly leapt into the air behind it, using Airbending to thrust the monster's face into the water with a power gust of wind when he landed on the back of the swamp creature's head. Aang landed in a crouch in the water in front of the creature and he straightened just as the swamp monster suddenly jerked upright and swung its arm, sending him flying into the trees several feet away.

"Aang!" Xiaodan cried out then spun around to face the swamp monster, her orange eyes blazing.

The white-haired girl began making slashing motion with her arms, launching air blade after air blade at the swamp monster. The air blades sliced through the swamp monster's arms, but more vines just took the severed ones place. Katara's eyes widened as an idea came to her and she began pinwheeling her arms, slinging an array of water blades at the monster alongside Xiaodan's air blades.

Sokka stood beside his sister with his machete in hand as he watched the two girls repeated severe the vines the made up the swamp monster, his eyes a narrowing when he caught a glimpse of what looked like a man inside the writhing mass of vegetation.

"There's someone in there!" Sokka shouted when he caught a glimpse of the man's face, "He's bending the vines!"

Katara bended some water from the swamp then twisted around, slinging the water blade at the creature just as Xiaodan swung her foot around and sent an air blade a second later. The water blade and the air blade struck the creature one right after, the water blade slicing diagonally through the monster's head while the air blade slashed diagonally in the opposite direction, cutting the creature's upper body into four different pieces. The swamp monster was still for a moment then suddenly vines rushed out from the water straight towards the two girls.

"Ah!" Katara and Xiaodan screamed as the vines wrapped around them and lifted them into the air, pinning them against a tree.

Sokka stared up in horror at the two trapped girls, his hand tightening around his machete when Aang suddenly leapt over his head and landed in front of the swamp monster. Aang thrusted his hand out and sent a powerful air blast at the swamp monster, blowing the vines away from the man that bending the vines. Katara and Xiaodan yelped quietly as the vines wrapped around them fell away and they landed in the water behind Aang.

"Why did you call me here if you just wanted to kill us!?" Aang demanded angrily as he stood defensively in front of the swamp monster with his hands raised.

"Wait!" An man's voice called out and the vines suddenly fell away, revealing an older man wearing only a loincloth made of leaves, "I didn't call you here."

The four teens shared a look then looked back at the man, still in their defensive positions.

"We were flying over and I heard something calling to me, telling me to land." Aang explained warily as he watched the man.

"He's the Avatar." Sokka added drily, "Stuff like that happens to us a lot."

"The Avatar?" The man questioned then turned away slightly and gestured for them to follow him, "Come with me."

The four teens shared a look of confusion as they relaxed slightly then they began to follow the strange man.

* * *

"So, who are you then?" Katara asked the man as she and her friends followed him to the top of the giant tree in the middle of the swamp's roots

"I protect the swamp from folks that want to hurt it." The man stated as he stopped and let the Aang, Katara, and Xiaodan pass then he gestured towards Sokka, "Like this fella with his big knife."

"See, completely reasonable." Sokka said smugly as he walked past the man and sheathed his machete, "Not a monster, just a regular guy defending his home. Nothing mystical about it."

"Oh the swamp is a mystical place alright. It's sacred." The man refuted Sokka's words calmly as he walked forward and sat cross-legged at the base of the trunk, "I reached enlightenment right here under the banyan-grove tree. I heard it calling me, just like you did."

"Sure you did." Sokka snarked sarcastically then his tone turned joking, "It seems real chatty."

Xiaodan rolled her eyes and elbowed him sharply in the ribs, causing him to yelp quietly. Sokka rubbed his now sore side and glared at the white-haired girl, but Xiaodan ignored him as the swamp man began to speak again.

"See this whole swamp is actually just one tree spread out over miles." The man explained as the four teens sat down in a semi-circle around him, "Branches spread and sink and take root and then spread some more. One big, living organism. Just like the entire world."

Aang scratched his head and gave the man a slightly confused look, "I get how the tree is one big thing, but the whole world?"

"Sure. You think you're any different from me or your friends or this tree? If you listen hard enough, you can hear every living thing breathing together." The man said sagely as he nodded his head slightly, "You can feel everything growing. We're all living together, even if most folks don't act like it. We all have the same roots and we are all branches of the same tree."

"But what did our visions mean?" Katara asked and Xiaodan glanced at her then back at the man, curious to hear his explanation.

"In the swamp, we see visions of people we've lost, people we loved, folks we think are gone. The swamp tells s they're not. We're still connected to them. Time is an illusion and so is death."

Xiaodan choked on her own spit at his words, her mind flashing to her vision of the dragon that turned into the dark-haired woman with orange eyes then her thoughts drifted to the image of Zuko that had basically lead her to the dragon-woman and almost began banging her head against the tree root she was sitting on when she realized what seeing a vision of Zuko could possibly mean. Xiaodan was pulled out of her chaotic thoughts when Aang suddenly spoke up.

"But what about my vision?" Aang asked the man, his thoughts drifting back to the mysterious girl he had been chasing, "It was someone I had never met."

"You're the Avatar." The man responded with a small smile, "You tell me."

Aang looked down at his hands which were folded in his lap as he thought about what the man said.

"Time is an illusion…" He murmured, his mind whirling as he thought then he looked up at the man as realization dawned on him, "So… it's someone I will meet?"

The man nodded his head, his smile widening as he stared at the young Airbender almost proudly.

"Sorry to interrupt the lesson," Sokka cut in drily as he got to his feet, still skeptically about what the swamp man was saying about the swamp, "But we still need to find Appa and Momo."

Xiaodan rolled her eyes at the cynical Water Tribe boy and got to her feet as well, bending backwards slightly to stretch her back out.

"I think I know how to find them." Aang said as he shifted into a kneeling position and placed his hand on the tree, "Everything is connected…"

Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka watched as Aang's eyes closed and the arrow tattoo on his hand began to glow brightly then yellow-white energy suddenly shot from his palm and down the tree into the swamp.

Aang sucked in a small breath as images of the swamp began to flash across his closed eyelids, energy leading him straight to where Appa's location. Aang watched as the image in his mind went from the swamp to Appa being caught in a net by a several men in animal skin loincloths. The image faded and Aang's eyes snapped open. He lurched to his feet and spun around to look at his three friends with wide eyes.

"Come on! We've got to hurry!"

* * *

"Set my lines by the riverbed! Caught ten fish and I killed 'em dead!" Tho sang as he tapped the side of his canoe while Due continued to Waterbend the boat forward, "Cut 'em and gut 'em and I tossed the heads in the water to keep them catgators fed."

The men stopped the canoes suddenly and they all turned when they heard a loud rushing sound coming from their left. Tho's eyes widened just as jet of water slammed into the canoe next to his, shattering it and tossing the two men sitting it into the air. Tho and Due watched the two men fly over their heads and land in the water with a splash, then Tho turned back and stared as a young bald boy with blue arrow tattoos landed on the thick tree root in front of them.

"Appa!" Aang shouted when he saw his animal friend trapped in the next behind the canoe and he quickly Airbended the fatter of the two men out of the canoe and into the water, freeing Momo from the drawstring bag he'd been trapped in as Katara ran up the tree root and stood beside Aang.

"We're under attack!" Due yelped then quickly bended a large wave of water at two teens standing on the tree root.

Aang and Katara began to Waterbend the wave back at the Foggy Swamp Waterbender and three began to struggle against the other as they all bended the same wave.

"Hey," Katara said in surprise as she looked at the skinny man in a loincloth, "You guys are Waterbenders!"

"You too!" Due exclaimed excitedly as he stopped bending the water and put his hands on his bare chest, "That means we're kin!"

Katara cringed slightly as she and Aang stopped Waterbending as well, letting the wave fall back into river below the tree root. Katara and Aang, with Momo on his shoulder looked down at the other Waterbender curiously as the swamp man, Sokka, and Xiaodan ran up the tree root and stopped beside them.

"Hey Huu!" Due called out when he saw the other Foggy Swamp Waterbender, "How you been?"

The swamp man, Huu, shrugged with a little half-smile appearing on his face, "You know, scared some folks, swung some vines, the usual."

Aang, Katara, and Xiaodan stared at the older man in slight surprise while Sokka gave him a vaguely annoyed look.

"Huu?" Sokka deadpanned and Xiaodan laughed loudly at the expression on his face.

* * *

"How you like that possum chicken?" Due asked as he sat across from the small campfire from the four teens, Huu, and Appa with Tho sitting next to him.

"Tastes just like arctic hen." Sokka commented as he looked at the cooked possum-chicken in his hand then back at the Foggy Swamp people, "So why were guys so interested in eating Appa? You've got plenty of those big things wandering around."

"You want me to eat ole Slim?" Due asked in shock as he tossed a small fish into the mouth of the catfish-crocodile laying behind him and Tho, "He's like a member of the family!"

Sokka gave a nervous smile and threw a bug at the catfish-crocodile, "Nice Slim!"

The cooked bug bounced off the animal's nose and Slim jerked his head towards Sokka, hissing loudly with his mouth open.

"Oh, he don't eat no bugs!" Due said with a laugh, "That's people food!"

"Where'd you say you was from?" Tho asked suddenly as he leaned forward slightly and looked at the two Water Tribe siblings curiously.

"The South Pole." Katara replied with a small smile.

"Didn't know there was Waterbenders anywhere but here." Tho commented then grinned, "They got a nice swamp there, do they?"

"No," Katara said with a small shake of her head, "It's all ice and snow."

"Hmm…No wonder you left." Tho commented with a snort.

While Due and Tho continued eating Sokka turned to address his sister.

"Well, I hope you realize now that nothing strange was going on here. Just a bunch of greasy people living in a swamp."

"What about the visions?" Katara asked exasperatedly as she rolled her eyes at her brothers pigheadedness.

"I told you, we were hungry. I'm eating a bug!" Sokka retorted then held up the large insect in his hand and took a bite out of it, cringing and gagging after he had swallowed.

"Well then explain how the tree showed Aang where Appa and Momo were." Xiaodan piped in from between Aang and Sokka as she gave the Water Tribe boy a smug look, passing a piece of fruit to Aang who handed it to Momo.

"That's Avatar stuff, that doesn't count." Sokka responded dismissively then looked over Aang and Xiaodan to address Huu, "The only thing I can't figure out is how you made that tornado that sucked us down."

"I can't do anything like that." Huu stated with a surprised look on his face, "I just bend the water in the plants."

"Ha! Explain that one, O Cynical One." Xiaodan gloated with a triumphant grin.

"Well, there's no accounting for weather." Sokka said with a shrug as he smirked smugly at the white-haired girl, "Still, there's absolutely nothing mysterious about the swamp."

Xiaodan responded by flicking a small pebble at the side of his head using Airbending, her laughter filling the air around the campfire while Sokka began to complain and rant.

* * *

A man with broadswords strapped to his back walked down the street of the small Earth Kingdom village, the full moon providing him with enough light to see as he turned down a small alleyway. A sudden noise caused the man to draw his broadswords as he whirled around to face the direction of the noise.

"Who's there?" The man demanded warily then he spun around again when he heard another noise come from behind him.

The man gasped as another man suddenly grabbed his hands and his swords were knocked from his grasp before he was thrown against some wooden crates leaning against the wall, his swords falling uselessly to the ground. The man slowly lifted his head up and gasped when he saw the Blue Spirit standing above him, the broadswords in his hand.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoo-eey! This chapter was a bit of a doozy! A fun doozy, but a doozy nonetheless. We got a little insight to Xiaodan's past in this chapter and now it begs the question of 'Who was the mysterious dark-haired woman with orange eyes and tattoos similar to Xiaodan that can turn in to a dragon?' And the answer is….You guys will just have to wait and see! Muahahahahahahaha!  
Anyhooties, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter because it was really fun to write. Next chapter will take place during Season 2 Episode 5: Avatar Day, and since updates are still sporadic I'm not sure when it will be posted, so y'all will have to stay tuned.**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys rock and I lurves you muchos!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Bridge on fire: **Thank you, I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **I know right! I think they should have had Tom-Tom in another episode, perhaps the last one or something. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Haha, oh yeah, Azula and Xia do NOT like each other AT ALL. Heehee, yes, yes you did detect a very, very, almost microscopic hint of Xiaodan's duel-bending abilities. Did you like it? I'm a little iffy on that part to be honest, so I hope it was good. Le sigh, sadly there is not much Zuko in this chapter either, but there should be a little more of him in the next chapter and there will most definitely be A LOT of him in chapter 28 because, you know, it's the Zuko Alone episode. XD Anyhooties, I hoped you liked Xiaodan's vision in this chapter because there was some Zuko in it and it was relevant to Xiaodan's past.

**LadyAmazon: **Tell me about it. Mai's fighting style is badass, but she's just so, so…blah. I mean she barely as more facial expressions than Kristen Stewert (no offense if you like her or anything, she's just very expressionless in my opinion). Anyhooties, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one too!

**Russia Fey: **The Swamp is one of my favorite episodes too! Anyhooties, I hope I did the episode justice and that you liked this chapter!

**Becky: **Haha, I'm glad you liked Azula and Xia's little showdown in the last chapter, believe me there will definitely be more in future chapters. Those two girls are gonna absolutely LOATHE each other. Badass, free natured-ness with a dash of maternal/sisterly protective instincts thrown in, that's definitely a good way to describe Xia. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**MidnightWolf191: **Aw, thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far! Xia and Zuko will official meet up again during the 8th episode of season 2, otherwise known as 'The Chase.' Consequently, that's also when those two will go from their current relationship as rivals and not quite mortal enemies and move onto a tentative friends/confidants type relationship. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Kyoki no Megami: **Haha, yeah, sorry about that. My romances tend to take a long-ass while to actually develop. I guess it's my way of separating myself from the author's that have the characters proclaiming their undying love/sucking face after knowing each other for only a few days to a week. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it's just not really my style or my forte. Don't worry though, Xia and Zuko's romantically inclined bond will really start to build itself soon, though I can't promise any grand make-out sessions. As for Xiaodan being more of a sidekick/supporting character, that was kind of the point. I never really planned on having her as the sole focus of the story, since it's still technically Aang's story, but the story line will start to divert more from the original and she will start to become more of a main focus in the upcoming chapters. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Cat of Flames: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, oh I am going to have so much fun writing Toph and Xia together, I just know those two are gonna be a riot! Or maybe they'll cause a riot… Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Vicky Lexi Bennet: **Haha, yeah, it'll probably hurt a bit but I have a high pain tolerance, so I doubt it will be that bad. Trick Faeries are these really beautiful drawings by Anna Ignatieva for Private Label T-Shirt Co. You can find a lot of her work on her website, magnetica . ru/ gallery/ category/ trick-fairies/  
Celtic knot work is basically a stylized representation of knots used for decoration. You can find a lot of images on Bing or Google, the tattoo I have on my neck the pagan symbol Triple Goddess, or three moons which symbolizes the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. Haha, online schooling isn't really that great, it actually seems harder than regular school because you have to keep yourself on track and not fall behind or get distracted. I'm enrolled in a small charter school but the online service they use is called Advanced Academics.  
As for Sokka having a crush on Xia, I honestly don't think that would happen. I seriously can't picture it in my mind and believe me, ever since someone asked about it, I've been trying to picture it but it's just too weird for me. I keep picturing Xia and Sokka having a sibling/friendly-rivalry type of relationship and I don't know if I can change that. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!


	26. Chapter 26: Avatar Day

**AN: Chapter 26 takes place during Season 2 Episode 5: Avatar Day. Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

* * *

Momo crouched in front of Sokka's upside down head and stared down into the sleeping boy's open mouth, completely entranced by the spider that had set up its web there. The lemur watched with great interest as a fly landed on web and he dove his hand into Sokka's mouth in an attempt to grab the fly before the spider could.

"Hm!" Sokka yelped around Momo's hand and sat up, flinging Momo over his head and spitting out the lemur's hand, "What are doing in my mouth!"

Momo chittered happily as he ate the fly and stared at Sokka while lying upside down on his stomach.

"Momo, you need to be a little more sensitive to my boundaries." Sokka stated just as the lemur noticed something on his left and stared.

Momo flipped back onto his feet and climbed onto Sokka's face, completely ignoring the boy's comment as he perched on his head and pricked his ears curiously to determine what it was that he heard. The lemur chittered loudly which caused Katara, who was sleeping a few feet away on a sawed off tree trunk to start awake, while Xiaodan and Aang remained peacefully asleep on Appa's forearm.

The two Airbenders jerked away when the ground suddenly began to tremble. Xiaodan turned her head and gasped when she saw in man in Fire Nation garb sitting atop a rhino jump out of the thicket of bushes that surrounded the clearing they had made came in. Katara and Aang both gasped as three more men on rhinos emerged from the bushes, completely surrounded the four teens and Appa.

"Give up!" A man from the rock above the camp his rhino was standing on as the other four riders began to circle the teens and sky bison, "You're completely surrounded."

One of the riders, an archer, suddenly shot two flaming arrows at Sokka, who had been attempting to crawl away in his sleeping bag like a caterpillar. The two arrows pinned the sleeping back to the ground and Sokka managed to lurch out of it just in time to avoid a third flaming arrow that pinned the top of the sleeping bag, his boomerang slipping off his shoulder as he got away.

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" Sokka shouted as he ran towards Appa, where Aang and Xiaodan were already waiting on Appa's head.

Xiaodan grabbed Sokka's arm and pulled him up onto Appa's neck then she turned around to help Katara, who was running towards them. Katara suddenly stopped and spun around, her blue eyes wide as she stared at her box of scrolls.

"My scrolls!" Katara cried out as one of the men spun a guan dao then slammed it into the sawed off tree trunk Katara had been sleeping on.

"My staff!" Aang and Xiaodan squawked simultaneously when they caught sight of several of some of their supplies a few feet away from the sawed off tree trunk, along with both of their staves.

Katara ran back towards the sawed off tree trunk, creating a water-whip from the water in her flask which she used to freeze the guan dao solidly to the trunk. Katara snatched up her box of scrolls and ran back towards Appa while the man was staring at his frozen blade in mild surprise just before he managed to break it free of the ice while Xiaodan jumped off Appa's head and somersaulted through the air along with Aang. The two landing lightly on the ground then they ran towards their staffs. One of the rhino riders wrapped a chain around a tree and pulled it down in front of the two Airbenders to stop them from reaching their staves, but Xiaodan and Aang merely somersaulted over the fallen tree and continued running towards their gliders. The two had just reached their gliders when one of the riders threw a hand grenade, which landed right beside Aang and Xiaodan, the fuse still burning.

"Whoa!" Xiaodan yelped then grabbed her staff and twirled it around, knocking the hand grenade back into the forest behind her and Aang.

Aang and Xiaodan then quickly propelled themselves into the air using Airbending just as the grenade exploded behind them, both of them landing on Appa's head.

"Yip-yip!" Aang shouted urgently as he grabbed the reins and Appa growled lowly, smacking his tail against the ground as he jumped into the air.

The man that was sitting on the rock above the camp shot a fireball at them as they fly over his head and Katara and Sokka quickly ducked, covering their heads as the fireball just missed them. Sokka straightened and his eyes went wide when he noticed his boomerang lying on the ground in front of the charred remains of his sleeping bag.

"Wait, my boomerang!" Sokka shouted as he stretched his arm over the saddle as if to grab it.

"There's no time!" Katara said, grabbing her brother's arm and Sokka turned to glare at her.

"Oh, I see!" He snapped as he looked at his sister then at Aang and Xiaodan, "So there's time to get your scrolls and time to get your staves, but no time for my boomerang?"

"That's correct." Katara confirmed cheerfully as she smiled at her brother.

Sokka bowed his head in defeat at the totally honest answer, "Oh…"

* * *

"Sorry about your boomerang, Sokka." Aang apologized to a sulking Sokka as he crouched in front of the small, wooden house they had stopped at to get more supplies, which Katara and Xiaodan were currently buying.

"I feel like I've lost a part of identity…" Sokka muttered sadly then he jumped up and tilted the straw hat Aang was wearing back so he could point at his arrow tattoo, "Imagine if you lost your arrow or Xia lost her tattoos, or Katara lost her…hair loopies."

Sokka pouted as he shuffled over to the stall dejectedly. Katara gave her brother a comforting hug while Xiaodan patted his shoulder consolingly.

"Here's your produce, ponytail guy." The merchant said cheerfully as he put the basket of supplies on the stall's counter.

"I used to be boomerang guy…" Sokka sighed dejected as he picked up the basket of supplies and walked over to Appa, Katara watching with a sympathetic expression as Aang and Xiaodan followed him.

The merchant walked around the stall and approached Katara, who started slightly then smiled as she handed him some money.

"Hey, Water Tribe money!" the merchant stated in surprise as he inspected the blue coins.

"I hope that's okay." Katara said with a worried look and the merchant nodded.

"So long as it's money." The merchant replied as he tucked the coins away then began closing down his small shop as Katara walked over to her friends, "Have a nice Avatar Day!"

Aang turned around and looked at the merchant, who was walking away, interestedly, "Avatar Day?"

"You guys are going to the festival, right?" The merchant asked as he turned around to face the teens as he walked backwards for a few moments then faced forward again as he continued to walk away.

The four teens looked at each other curiously for a moment, trying to figure out what to do. Katara, Aang and Xiaodan grin at each other while tears ran down Sokka's face.

* * *

"Wow…" Xiaodan muttered as she and her friends looked around the busy street of Chin Village, taking in all the green decorations.

"There's a holiday for the Avatar." Aang said with a grin as he shrugged his shoulders slightly, "Who knew?"

"Look!" Katara said and the four teens turned around as Katara gestured behind her as a large effigy of Avatar Kyoshi rolled past, "They made a giant Kyoshi float!"

Aang, Sokka, Xiaodan and Katara ran down the street then they ran down a side street until they found a less crowd spot where they could watch the other floats.

"And here comes Avatar Roku!" Sokka stated as he pointed at the large wooden statue of Avatar Roku as it rolled by.

"Having a huge festival in your honor is great," Aang commented happily, "But, frankly, it's just nice to be appreciated!"

"And it's nice to appreciate their deep-friend festival food!" Sokka said as he took a large bite of the fried pasty in his hand.

"Aang, look!" Katara exclaimed as she pointed at a giant float of Aang coming down the street.

"That's the biggest me I've ever seen!" The younger Airbender said as the float rolled past the four teens.

Xiaodan, Aang, Katara, and Sokka watched as the Aang effigy was pulled alongside other two Avatar floats in the main square then they watched as a man with long hair and wearing a green loincloth ran down the street a lit torch.

"Now a torch, that's a nice prop. It's bright, dangerous…" Sokka praised as he sniffed the air, "Smells manly. But I'm not sure I could carry it off."

"You're not the only one who thinks so." Xiaodan quipped with a snicker and Sokka made a face at her, then took another bite of his food as Katara pointed at the running man.

"Hey, what's that guy doing?" She asked curiously as the man reached the effigy of Kyoshi.

The runner gave a loud shout as he jumped through the bottom of the effigy of Kyoshi, causing it to catch fire which spread rapidly until it completely engulfed the whole float. The runner backflipped onto the effigy of Roku and set it on fire next.

"Down with the Avatar! Down with the Avatar!" the crowd chanted loudly.

Xiaodan, Aang, Sokka, and Katara stared in complete shock at the turn events, food dripping out of Sokka's open mouth.

* * *

The Blue Spirit ran across the rooftop along the quiet street, where a man and woman were walking. He quickly leapt from the roof and landed in front of the two people, unsheathing his dual dao swords. The Blue Spirit lunged at the man carrying two baskets that were suspended on a long pole, swiftly cutting the both baskets off in a single fluid motion. The terrified man cowered back as the Blue Spirit swung the baskets onto his shoulders then approached the woman, who was carrying a large piece of fruit on her head. The thief snatched the fruit from her head and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, leaving the man and woman staring in confusion.

* * *

Zuko walked through a thicket in the forest surrounding the small village and paused in front of a large tree. The banished prince removed the Blue Spirit mask and placed it in a hollow part at the base of the tree then he peeked around the trunk where his uncle was sitting in a small cavern made or rocks.

Iroh looked up from fire he was staring at when his nephew dropped the baskets of food at his feet.

"Where did you get these?" Iroh asked curiously as he looked at the food.

"What does it matter where they came from?" Zuko retorted angrily as he walked away from his uncle.

Iroh watched his nephew leave with a serious expression on his face then picked up one of the pastries from one of the baskets and took a bite, jam dripping down him chin, "Mmm!"

* * *

Xiaodan, Aang, Katara, and Sokka watched as the crowd continued to chant and the mayor of the village signaled to the runner, who was now standing on the roof of a build. The runner smirked then threw the lit torch with a grunt, right into the left eye of the Aang effigy, causing the crowd to cheer in approval.

Xiaodan's jaw dropped and Aang stared at his own burning effigy with pained look on his face. Katara scowled and ran to the front of the crowd, bending the water from two large pots nearby to extinguish the flames.

"That party pooper's ruined Avatar Day!" One of the villagers shouted accusingly as he pointed Katara angrily.

Aang glared at the man then Airbended himself to the top of his own float, landing on the left shoulder of the still smoking effigy.

"That party pooper's my friend!" Aang shouted angrily at the crowd then he took of his straw hat and threw it to the ground, revealing his arrow.

"It's the Avatar himself!" The mayor of the village exclaimed as he pointed up at Aang in horror.

"It's going to kill us with its awesome Avatar powers!" A village cried out in fear as the crowd stared up at Aang in terror.

"No, I'm not, I…" Aang said quickly as he raised his hand, causing several of the villagers to cower in fear, while the villager that had spoken earlier threw himself into the crowd.

Aang looked at his hand then quickly hid it behind his back as he stared wide-eyed at the villagers below.

"I suggest you leave!" the village mayor shouted up at Aang then began waving them away with a gesture of his hand, "You're not welcome here, Avatar!"

"Why not?" Katara demanded as she turned to face the mayor, "Aang helps people!"

"It's true!" Aang stated desperately as he landed beside Katara, "I'm on your side."

Xiaodan walked over to Aang and stood beside him, her arms folded over her chest as she stared at the mayor.

"I find that hard to swallow," the man commented calmly then his voice rose to nearly a shout, "Considering what you did to us in your past life!"

Xiaodan quirked a brow and tilted her head slightly as the mayor began to rant.

"It was Avatar Kyoshi, she murdered our glorious leader, Chin the Great!"

"You think that I…murdered someone?" Aang asked in complete shock as he stared at the mayor with wide eyes.

"We used to be a great society before you killed our leader." An old man with a lisp slurred angrily then he pointed at his haggard-looking face, "Now look at us!"

The villagers next to him looked at him in disgust while Katara, Xiaodan, and Aang cringed slightly at his appearance.

"Huh!" Aang yelped, completely frightened by the old man's appearance.

"You're insane." Xiaodan stated drily as she looked at the mayor then gestured at her brother, "Aang wouldn't murder anyone. I don't think he even could."

"Yeah, Aang would never do something like that. No Avatar would" Katara agreed as she placed her hands on the younger Airbender's shoulders then she shook in head in disapproval and pointed an accusing finger at the villagers, "And it's not fair for you all to question his honor!"

"Let's tell her what we all think of the Avatar's 'honor!'" A third villager shouted as he raised his arm to emphasize his words.

The man turned around and shook his rear at Aang, blowing a raspberry as he did so and the villagers cheered loudly in approval.

"Give me a chance to clear my name!" Aang pleaded as he took a few steps forward.

"The only way to prove your innocence is to stand trial." The mayor stated coolly with a haughty expression on his face.

"I'll gladly stand trial!" Aang retorted confidently.

The mayor smirked, "You'll have to follow all our rules. That includes paying bail."

"No problem." Aang said with a nod with confident expression.

* * *

"How was I supposed to know they wouldn't take Water Tribe money?" Aang said apologetically as he looked between Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka from behind metal bars, his head and hands cuffed in a wooden panel.

Xiaodan sighed and shook her head with her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the wall opposite the bars while Katara covered her eyes with a hand in shame and Sokka leaned against the prison bars, his arms crossed and an annoyed look on his face.

"So some people don't like you, big deal!" Sokka ranted exasperatedly, "There's a whole nation of Firebenders who hate you. Now let's bust you out of here!"

"I can't."

"Sure you can!" Sokka said, sounding surprisingly upbeat as he jumped away from the bars and began imitation Airbending moves with his arms while Katara just looked ashamed for her brother, "A little swish-swish-swish! Airbending slice!"

Xiaodan quirked a brow as Sokka finished his weird arm gestures and resumed his place beside Katara, who was still looking at him in annoyance, as he made a circular motion with his hands and pointed towards the door.

"And we're on our way!"

"Oi…" Xiaodan muttered and slapped a hand to her forehead, looking at the ceiling in exasperation while Aang just gave Sokka a weird look.

"I think what 'Master Swish' is trying to say," Katara said slightly mockingly as she looked at her brother then her tone turned serious as she looked back at Aang, "Is that you're supposed be saving the world. You can't do that locked up in here."

"I can't do that with people thinking I'm a murderer either." Aang retorted unhappily, "I need you guys to help prove my innocence."

"How're we gonna do that?" Sokka asked drily as he crossed his arms over his chest, "The crime happened over three hundred years ago."

A sly smile appeared on Aang's face as he looked at the older boy, "That's okay, Sokka. For some reason, I thought you were an expert detective."

"Well, I guess I could be classified as such." Sokka replied contented as he practically preened.

"Smooth, little brother, very smooth." Xiaodan murmured quietly with a small snicker as she glanced at Aang from the corner of her eye and the younger Airbender grinned widely at her.

"Yeah!" Katara said, helping Aang by playing Sokka's ego, "Back home, he was famous for solving the mystery of the missing seal jerky."

"Everyone wanted to blame it on a polar leopard, but I figured out it was Old Man Jarko wearing polar leopard boots!" Sokka bragged, oblivious to the way Katara was holding her hand to her brow in annoyance as he continued to monologue, "See, a real eight hundred-pound polar leopard would have left much deeper tracks. Okay, I guess I am pretty good."

Xiaodan and Katara covered their mouths to refrain from bursting into laughter as Aang made fun of Sokka as he spoke.

"So, you'll help me with my case?" Aang asked after Sokka had finished talking.

Sokka pondered the question for a moment, Katara and Xiaodan giving him weird looks as they tried to figure out what he was doing.

"Fine." Sokka agreed as he put his hands on his hips, "But I'm going to need some new props."

Sokka spun around quickly then turned back around wearing a blue hat with a monocle attached to it. Xiaodan and Katara stared at him in surprise then the two girls started to giggle at him.

"What?" Sokka demanded, extending his monocle to inspect the two girls as they turned away from his slightly and giggled harder behind their hands.

"Where in the world were you keeping _that_?" Xiaodan asked in amusement then fell into another fit of giggles and Sokka huffed in annoyance.

* * *

A small wagon being pulled by an ostrich-horse drove through the forest, an Earth Kingdom solider holding the reins while a wealthy Earth Kingdom nobleman sat inside the wagon. The wealthy man smiled gleefully as he played with his chest full of gold pieces, picking up the gold pieces then letting them fall back into the chest. Suddenly the cart stopped and he was thrown to the front, his hat falling off his head as he clutched held tightly to the chest. The wealthy man quickly closed the chest and clutched it to his chest, his scared eyes flickering from side-to-side when he heard rumbling noises coming from outside his carriage and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

A relieved sigh escaped him when the noise died down, but his relief was short-lived as he yelped and cowered back in fear as two swords slashed through the top of his carriage. A fist came crashing down through the ceiling of the carriage and the aghast man looked up, his expression becoming horrified when he saw the Blue Spirit standing on the wrecked roof of his carriage. The wealthy man trembled and held his chest of gold out to the Blue Spirit while trying to stay as far from the thief as possible.

The Blue Spirit snatched the chest from the man and disappeared, leaving the wealthy man staring at the spot he had been standing in surprise. The wealthy man stood up slightly and peered from the hole in the roof of his carriage, his jaw dropping when he saw his guards lying unconscious on the ground on either side of the carriage. The Blue Spirit was nowhere in sight.

* * *

"This is the crime scene." The mayor of the village, Tong, said as he lead Sokka, Katara, and Xiaodan towards a small shrine surrounded by sand on the cliff just outside of walls of Chin Village.

Sokka looked around the area inquisitively, his left eye appearing huge behind the monocle as he approached the shine and began inspecting the walls while Tong stood near the cliff's edge, staring down at something.

"This is the footprint of the killer, Kyoshi." Tong stated as he pointed at the footprint that was embedded in the ground at the very edge of the cliff.

Sokka hurried forward and crouched down beside the footprint, his monocle extending so he could take a closer look. Katara and Xiaodan exchanged amused and vaguely exasperated looks at the Water Tribe boy's antics then they walked over to stand behind him while Tong began walking back towards the shrine.

"It was at sunset three hundred and seventy years ago today, that she emerged from the temple and struck down Chin the Great. After that tragic day, we built this stature to immortalize our great leader." Tong explained as gestured towards the shrine then towards a statue of Chin the Great, whose left hand was raised in triumph, "Feel free to appreciate it."

Xiaodan made a face and stuck her tongue out at the mayor's back as the man walked away, leaving the three teens to investigate things further. Sokka walked over to the statue and began to examine it from every possible angle while the two girls watched him curiously. Sokka crouched down and began examining the base of the statue when something caught his attention and he looked through his magnifying monocle in order to get a better look at the right foot of the statue. His eyes widened and he quickly ran over to the shrine that was facing the statue then he began to examine the stone it was made from while Katara and Xiaodan watched him interestedly.

"This temple and this statue were cut from the same stone." Sokka stated then he ran back over to the statue and began inspecting it again, "And we now that the statue was built after Chin died."

Katara and Xiaodan exchanged excited looks as they both began drawing their own conclusions.

"So, if they were built at the same time, that mean-"

"Shh! I wanna solve it!" Sokka cut his sister off quickly before she could finish then he pointed at the small temple, "That means Kyoshi never set foot in this temple."

"That's a mighty big hole in the mayor's story." Xiaodan commented as she crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side.

"But it's not enough to prove Aang's innocence." Katara said as she frowned slightly.

"You're right." Sokka agreed then whipped out a dragon-shaped pipe and began blowing soap bubbles as he thought about their next course of action, "We need to go to Kyoshi Island."

Katara and Xiaodan walked over to him, their eyes glued to the pipe.

"Where did you get that?" Katara asked in surprise and Xiaodan quirked a brow as she looked at Sokka strangely.

* * *

Aang, still cuffed with the wooden panel, leaned dispiritedly against the wall of the prison as he watched an elephant-rat sniff at an acorn before it picked the nut up and jumped away.

"You got a bald head…" A low voice said from the shadows at the other side of the prison and Aang looked up curiously to see who was talking, but he could only make out a vague outline of a man in the shadows.

"Some nice tattoos." The mysterious man continued then stepped out of the shadows.

Aang's eyes went wide as he stared at large man. The man had earrings in both of his ears and a large, green snake tattoo that covered the top of his bare chest and wrapped around his right arm. The man suddenly growled suddenly and charged at Aang, but was stopped in his tracks by the chains attached to a collar around his neck. Aang slide down the wall in fear and stared up at the large man warily.

"You're gonna fit in real well around here." The man commented calmly as he looked down at Aang, who smiled awkwardly as the man clenched his fists.

* * *

A man in the watchtower on Kyoshi Island's stared in awe when he saw a familiar flying bison soaring towards the village and he hurriedly began ringing the bell to signal the Avatar's arrival. Oyaji sat on the porch in front of his house, a small platter of food in front of him when a shadow suddenly slid over his house and Oyaji looked up, a smile appearing on his face as two laughing children ran past him on their way to greet Appa and his riders. Oyaji quickly stood and hurried to the center of the village where Avatar Kyoshi's statue was.

Xiaodan grinned widely as she landed Appa in of the large, wooden statue of Kyoshi which had been rebuilt and she smiled at the villagers that had gathered around Appa. The villagers clapped happily and waved, while one man pushed his way to the front and began squealing. The man began gesturing wildly at Appa then squealed loudly again and began foaming at the mouth before collapsing in a dead faint. Some of the villagers stared at the man awkwardly then looked back at Appa, where Sokka was waving at the villagers from his spot beside Katara in the saddle. Koko cheered loudly from her place at the front of the ground before she noticed something was wrong.

"Where's Aangy?" The young girl demanded and angrily stomped her foot on the ground.

Katara hopped off Appa's saddle and smiled gently at the young girl, "He couldn't be here, Koko."

The villagers sighed in disappointment and began whispering quietly to each other as Koko pouted.

"I wanted to see Aangy…" She whined then huffed in annoyance as the man that had fainted staggered to his feet.

The foaming at the mouth guy glanced around him then whipped the foam from his face and pulled his tunic of her head before subtly sneaking away. Still grumbling, the rest of the villagers turned away from the three teens and headed back towards the village, with the exception of Oyaji, who approached Sokka, Katara, and Xiaodan.

"Oyaji!" Katara said in relief as the man walked over to them, "Aang is in jail. The town of Chin says he murdered their leader in a past life!"

"They say it was Kyoshi." Sokka added as he looked at his dragon-shaped pipe, his monocle covering his left eye.

"Kyoshi? That's crazy talk!" Oyaji exclaimed in shock, "I'll take you to her shrine. Maybe something there will help you clear her name."

* * *

The three teens followed the leader of Kyoshi Island Village up a gentle slope, passing the Kyoshi Warriors' training dojo as they headed towards the shrine. Sokka paused and stared at the dojo as they past then hurried after Oyaji.

"So, uh…What's Suki up to?" Sokka asked with feigned casualness as he looked around curiously, "Is she around?"

Katara and Xiaodan exchanged amused glance then the dark-haired girl gave her brother a fond smile.

"Actually, she and the other warriors left to fight in the war." Oyaji replied as he glanced over his shoulder at Sokka then looked forward again, "You kids had a big impact on Suki. She said you inspired her and she wanted to help change the world."

"Oh," Sokka said as he looked to the side in disappointment, "Well…that's great."

Xiaodan bumped him with her hip gently then gave him a reassuring smile when he looked at her. Sokka gave the white-haired girl a weak smile in return as the foursome walked under a paifang gate and towards a temple at the top of the hill.

"This temple was converted into a shrine to Kyoshi." Oyaji explained as he led the three teens into the shrine, "The clerics tell us these relics are still connected to her spirit. That's her kimono."

Katara nodded her head approvingly as she gently touched the kimono hanging on the wall, "She had exquisite touch."

"Please don't touch!" Oyaji said reproachfully and Katara jerked her hand away from the kimono and turned to look at the village leader sheepishly.

"These fans…" Sokka addressed Oyaji as he picked up one of Kyoshi's gold, metal fans and held it with two fingers, "They were her weapons, no?"

"Also refrain from touching the fans." Oyaji said sternly as he glared slightly at Sokka.

Xiaodan crouched beside a large pair of brown boots that were resting under the kimono, Katara at her side.

"These were her boots?" The white-haired girl questioned curiously as she took in the size of the boots then turned to look at Oyaji over her shoulder

"Her feet must have been enormous!" Katara said in awe, her expression turning to one of surprise when Momo suddenly peeked out of one of them.

"The biggest of any Avatar." Oyaji replied proudly as he smiled at the two girls.

"Wait a minute…Big feet?" Katara muttered as she realized something and she remembered the much smaller footprint they saw at the edge of the cliff outside Chin Village, "Little foot print?"

Xiaodan's eyes widened as she followed the dark-haired girl's train of thought, "There's no way-"

Sokka cleared his throat, cutting off the white-haired girl and the two girls turned to face him exasperatedly.

"Special outfit? Hat and pipe?" Sokka asked rhetorically as he gestured to himself, "These things mean anything to you two?"

"I apologize, O Great Detective Sokka." Xiaodan drawled sarcastically then bowed mockingly at him, "Please, go head."

Katara giggled quietly behind her hand and Xiaodan crossed her arms over chest as Sokka took over the explanation.

"Aha!" Sokka exclaimed as he dramatically raised his hand in the air then showed his own boots to Oyaji, "There's no way Kyoshi could have made that footprint. And therefore there is nothing linking her to the crime scene!"

"Brilliant, Sokka." Katara said in an unimpressed tone, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes as her brother walked around the room.

Xiaodan merely shook her head in amusement.

* * *

"This girl you're talking about? She'll come around." The scary prisoner with the green snake tattoos stated in a friendly voice as he sat with two other prisoners and Aang, "You just gotta hang in there."

Aang removed his head and hands from the wood panel and rested them in top of it as he looked at the scary prisoner with a hopeful expression, "You think so?"

"Sure." The scary prisoner said with a nod.

"Yeah." A second prisoner agreed.

"You're a catch." A third, larger prisoner added with a grin.

"I don't know…" Aang said doubtfully as he looked off to the side.

"Hey! You're smart, handsome, funny." The scary prisoner commented, gesturing slightly with his hands, "Not to mention you're the Avatar!"

"You guys are great." Aang said with a sincere smile on his young face.

"Don't be afraid to tell her how you feel." The third prisoner advised in a soft voice as he wiped a tear from his eye and sniffed.

* * *

"This piece is called 'The Birth of Kyoshi.'" Oyaji explained as the three teens stood in front of a large painting that depicted Kyoshi and some villagers standing on the island, "It was painted at sunrise on this day this island was founded. Why, it was today in face, three hundred and seventy years ago."

Sokka spat out some bubbles he had swallowed in shock then he whirled around to face Oyaji, "Three hundred and seventy years?"

"Wait," Sokka muttered and grabbed Oyaji by his collar, "Are you sure it was today?"

"Oh, seeing how it's Kyoshi Day, yes." Oyaji replied drily as he pulled himself free from Sokka's grasp and pushed him away, "I'm sure."

"This ceremony didn't take place at sunrise. It took place at sunset." Sokka commented as he inspected the painting again then addressed Katara and Xiaodan, "Look at the shadows."

The two girls approached the paintings and looked painted villagers' shadows curiously.

"They point east." Katara said excitedly then pointed to the corner of the painting, "So the sun must have been in the west."

"So what?" Oyaji asked in confusion.

Katara opened her mouth but Sokka shoved her out of the way so that he could explain. Xiaodan rolled her eyes at the Water Tribe boy and walked over to help Katara back to her feet as Sokka began talking.

"If Kyoshi was in the ceremony at sunset, she couldn't have been in Chin committing the crime!" Sokka exclaimed as he pointed his pipe at Katara and Xiaodan, "She has an alibi."

Katara scowled and snatched the pipe from her brother's hand then slammed him hard on the head with it, causing Xiaodan to snicker.

* * *

"Honorable Mayor, we've prepared a solid defense for the Avatar." Katara said respectfully as she, Sokka, and Xiaodan stood in front of Tong inside the prison while Aang listened from behind the bars, "We did an investigation and found some very strong evidence."

While Katara spoke, Sokka grinned broadly and leaned towards Aang, pointing at himself to emphasize that he was the one that discovered the evidence and Aang grinned back at him happily.

"Evidence?" Tong questioned then waved his hand dismissively, "Hmph! That's not how our court system works."

"Then how can I prove my innocence?" Aang asked curiously and Tong leaned towards him slightly.

"Simple. I saw what happened," Tong explained and pointed at himself then he pointed at Aang, "Then you say what happened, and then I decide who's right."

The four teens gasped simultaneously and stared at the mayor with horrified expressions.

"That's why we call it justice." Tong continued smugly, "Because it's 'just us.'"

The mayor laughed manically as he left the room, leaving Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Xiaodan standing there with their mouths wide open in shock. Xiaodan's snapped her mouth shut, her shocked expression morphing into one of anger.

"Oh, I'm gonna hurt him." Xiaodan growled and made to step forward but Sokka grabbed her arm, shaking his head when the white-haired girl turned her head to look at him.

Xiaodan stared at Sokka for a moment then huffed and crossed her arms, fuming silently.

* * *

"Everyone loved Chin the Great because he was so great." Tong said emotionally as he stood in the center of the small amphitheater where the statue of Chin and temple where on the edge of the cliff, "Then the Avatar showed up and killed him, and that's how it happened."

Xiaodan felt her eyebrow twitch slightly at the smug smile on the mayor's face as he walked away and sat down in the front row of the amphitheater.

"The accused will now present its argument." The guard drawled in a very deep monotone.

"You can do it, Aang." Sokka encouraged quietly, his hand cupped around his mouth, "Just remember the evidence."

"Right…evidence." Aang muttered, his head and hands back in the wooden panel as he looked to his left and tried to remember what to say, then he cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen…I'm about to tell you what really happened! And I will prove it with facts. Fact number one!" Aang said enthusiastically and raised his finger, but his mind goes blank, "Uh…"

"The footprint!" Sokka whispered urgently from the front row opposite from the mayor's seat.

"Oh, yeah! You see…I have very large feet." Aang said then glanced down at his small feet at the villagers stared at him, unimpressed by his argument so far.

"Furthermore…your temple matches your statue!" Aang continued and the villagers looked from the statue to the temple, clearly unsure where the young Avatar was going with his argument, "But…I, uh, was in a painting at sunset. So, there you have it, I'm not guilty!"

Aang quickly ended his argument with a large smile on his face and the unimpressed villagers stared at him blankly. Xiaodan sighed and covered her eyes with her hand, shaking her head slightly while Katara and Sokka smiled widely, their eyes giving away their nervousness as Sokka gave Aang a thumbs up. Momo chittered in confusion from his spot on Xiaodan's lap, his ears pinned back.

"He's dead…" Sokka muttered to the two girls as he and Katara continued to smile widely.

Xiaodan snorted quietly and shook her head again in exasperation.

* * *

"Looks like you did some serious shopping." Iroh commented as he walked into the cave and sat in front of a fancy new tea set then he picked up the large, gold-colored teapot, "But where did you get the money?"

"Do you like your new teapot?" Zuko asked, evading his uncle's question as he lounged lazily against a tree trunk in front of the fire.

"To be honest with you, the best tea tastes delicious whether it comes in a porcelain pot or a tin cup." Iroh stated as he put down the fancy teapot then walked over to his nephew and kneeled beside him, "I know we've had some difficult times lately. We've had to struggle just to get by."

Iroh reached out and put a hand on Zuko's shoulder, the scarred teen closing his eyes as if he was holding something back.

"But it's nothing to be ashamed of." Iroh continued gently, "There is a simple honor in poverty."

"There's no honor for me without the Avatar."

"Zuko…" Iroh started then sighed quietly, "Even if you did capture the Avatar, I'm not so sure it would solve our problems. Not now."

Zuko turned away from his uncle, his eyes downcast, "Then there is no hope at all."

The banished prince made to stand up and walk away but Iroh grabbed him by the shoulders and sat him down again.

"No, Zuko! You must never give in to despair." Iroh chided gently in a paternal tone of voice, "Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to your lowest instincts."

Zuko bowed his head and closed his eyes as he listened to his uncle's words of wisdom.

"In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength."

The scarred teen glanced over his shoulder at his uncle and Iroh stared back at him with a sad look upon his lined face. Abruptly Zuko jerked himself free from Iroh's grasp and headed back out into the forest, leaving Iroh to stare after him sorrowfully.

* * *

"Mayor Tong, I'd like for the court to hear one last testimony." Katara said as she stood in front of the seated villagers.

"I already told you, it's just me and the accused." Tong snapped in irritation, "You can't call any witnesses!"

"This isn't just any witness. I'm going to call…" Katara paused and spread her arms out slightly, "Avatar Kyoshi herself!"

The villagers began to murmur quietly to themselves as someone exited the shrine. The guard walked forward, escorting Aang, dressed in Kyoshi's clothes, towards the front of the amphitheater. The mayor looked on skeptically while Katara walked back to her seat and sat between Sokka and Xiaodan.

"What are you doing?" Sokka asked in a whisper as he leaned towards his sister and pointed Aang.

"Well, she is Aang's past life." Katara replied, her expression and tone hopeful, "Maybe wearing her stuff will trigger something."

"Well, it's definitely worth a shot." Xiaodan mused as she began to scratch behind Momo's ears, causing the lemur to purr happily.

Sokka began playing with his magnifying monocle as he leaned back in his seat, "I do believe in the power of stuff."

Tong looked at the dressed up Aang angrily, "This is a mockery of Chin Law!"

"Please!" Katara called out pleadingly, "If you could just wait one more second, I'm sure Kyoshi will be here!"

Aang stood in the middle of the square, hiding behind one of the Kyoshi's fans then he peeked over the fan.

"Hey, everybody!" he called out in a high-pitched voice, "Avatar Kyoshi here!"

"Oi…" Xiaodan muttered and clapped her hands over her face, shaking her head in dismay.

"This is ridiculous!" Tong shouted as he walked over to Aang and pointed at the young Avatar while he addressed the villagers and Aang looked down in defeat, "For the murder of Chin the Great, this court finds the Avatar-"

Tong's words were cut off suddenly when a defeated looking again was suddenly engulfed in a tornado of earth and Tong held onto his hat tightly, to prevent it from flying away as he stared up at the tornado fearfully. The sky darkened dramatically and the tornado disappeared, revealing that Aang was gone and in his place was the spirit of Avatar Kyoshi.

"I killed Chin the Conqueror." Avatar Kyoshi said calmly, "A horrible tyrant, Chin was expanding his army to call corners of the continent…"

"When they came to the neck of the peninsula where we lived, he demanded our immediate surrender." Kyoshi continued, "I warned him that I would not sit passively while he took our home. But he did not back down. On that day we split from the mainland."

"I created Kyoshi Island so my people could be safe from invaders." Kyoshi all but growled and her eyes narrowed dangerously as the tornado of earth engulfed her once again.

Tong yelped quietly and kneeled on the ground beside the tornado, his arms covering his head. The tornado continued to spin around Kyoshi and the darkness that had suddenly appeared lifted, the sky brightening once again. Sokka held Katara protectively in his arms and Xiaodan cradled Momo to her chest with one arm while she used the other to shield her eyes.

The tornado disappeared and Aang is standing in the middle of the amphitheater once again, swaying from side-to-side. Xiaodan quickly put Momo down and rushed over to her brother, catching him before he collapsed, Katara only steps behind her.

"So, what just happened?" Aang asked in confusion as he looked from Xiaodan to Katara.

"Uhhh…you kind of confessed." Katara replied awkwardly, "Sorry."

Tong stood up from his crouched position on the ground and turned to face the three teens.

"And I find you…" He paused to brush himself off then he pointed accusingly at Aang, "Guilty!" Bring out the Wheel of Punishment!"

Xiaodan pursed her lips angrily as the villagers broke out into cheers, her orange eyes narrowing angrily. Momo looked behind him at the cheering villagers then couched down and covered his eyes with his tail.

* * *

Iroh bent over some of their supplies, sifting through them idly.

"Uncle…" Zuko called out and Iroh straightened but didn't turn around, "I thought a lot about what you said."

"You did?" Iroh stated, his sad expression morphing into one of content as he continued to sift through the supplies, "Good, good."

"It helped me realize something." Zuko continued calmly as he bowed his head slightly, "We no longer have anything to gain by traveling together. I need to find my own way."

Iroh's brightened expression disappeared and he bowed his head sorrowfully his eyes closing. Zuko looked at his uncle's back for a moment then grabbed his pack and began walking back into the forest.

"Wait!"

Zuko stopped and turned around, watching as his uncle led the ostrich-horse over to him. Iroh handed his nephew the reins, staring sadly as Zuko mounted the ostrich-horse. The scarred prince looked back at his uncle one last time then started off, leaving a despondent Iroh behind.

Iroh watched his nephew disappear into the forest and sighed, suddenly wishing for the company of a certain Pai Sho loving white-haired Airbender.

* * *

"The accused will now spin the Wheel of Punishment to determine his sentence." The guard said in his deep monotone as he stood beside the large wheel that depicted various forms of punishment.

Aang turned to look at Xiaodan, Sokka, and Katara, who are watching him sympathetically, or in Xiaodan's case, glaring angrily at the mayor of Chin Village. Aang smiled slightly then turned back to the face the Wheel of Punishment.

"I said I would face justice, so I will." He said then took a deep breath and spun the wheel, waiting with bated breath to see what it would land on.

"Come, on torture machine." One village said hopefully as the wheel spun around.

"Eaten by bears!" Another villager called out, just as hopeful.

"Razor pit!"

Xiaodan twitched and twisted around in her seat to glare at the villagers furiously.

"**SHUT UP!**" She snarled fiercely, using Airbending to amplify her voice slightly.

The villagers recoiled slightly and fell silent. Xiaodan huffed once and turned back around so she was once again facing the center of the amphitheater.

"Community service!" Katara begged quietly, her fists held up to her chin as she watched the Wheel nervously, "Please stop on community service!"

Sokka, Katara, and Xiaodan all watched worriedly as the wheel started to slow down. The Wheel of Punishment bypassed 'strangled by a platypus-bear' and 'eaten by sharks', Aang staring up at the wheel anxiously as it came to a halt.

The guard peered at the wheel then turned back to the crowd and spoke in his monotone, "Looks like it's 'boiled in oil.'"

The villagers cheered loudly, many of them throwing their arms in the air. Aang whirled around and stared in terror at Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan, who stare back in horrified shock. Suddenly, a small grenade bounced into the amphitheater and exploded inside the temple, completely destroying it and making the whole amphitheater shake. Sokka and Katara raised their arms to protect their faces from the blast and debris while Xiaodan spun around, holding Momo protectively to her chest. Everyone looked up and stared at the five Fire Nation men sitting atop five rhinos.

"We've come to claim this village for the Fire Lord. Now show me the leader so I may…" The leader paused with a smirk as one of his men sliced through the statue of Chin the Great with his guan dao, "Dethrone him!"

One of the villagers pointed at Tong, "That's him over there!"

Tong squealed in terror and dove behind the Wheel of Punishment.

"Ahh!" Tong squeaked as he peeked out from behind the wheel and he addressed Aang in a commanding tone, "You, Avatar, do something!"

"Gee, I'd love to help," Aang replied apathetically as he stared in front of him, "But I'm supposed to be boiled in oil."

The mayor gave Aang a panicked look then quickly shifted the wheel one slot over so it rested on the picture of a man sweeping.

"There, community service!" Tong said and pointed at the five men on rhinos, "Now serve our community and get rid of those rhinos!"

Aang smirked slightly then rushed forward and jumped out of his Kyoshi costume, heading straight for the rhino-rider wielding the guan dao. The man readied his weapon and charged Aang, who snapped open Kyoshi's fans. Aang quickly spun out of the rhino's path and swung the fans, using Airbending to lift the guan dao wielder right out of his saddle then Aang tossed him off the cliff with another gust of air.

The man's rhino continued its charge, heading straight for the mayor, who was peeping over the wheel again. Tong squealed again and quickly ducked back down behind the Wheel of Punishment when he saw the rhino coming towards him. A squeak of fear escaped him when the rhino's horned embedded themselves into the wheel, missing the mayor's arms and vital bits by merely inches.

Aang spun around to face the leader of the rhino gang and the man glared down at Aang with a displeased look on his face.

"Rough Rhinos, to the town!" the man ordered as he pointed back to the village.

The remaining Rough Rhinos charged back to the village, the archer shooting three flaming arrows at the buildings, setting fire to the roofs of several buildings while the leader began blasting other buildings with Firebending. Another of Rough Rhinos rode through the village, dropping several lit bombs into a hay wagon as he rode past while a third man used his chains to pull down the support beams of a house.

The man screamed wordlessly as he swung his chains above his head. Katara ran into the street and the man threw his chains at her but Katara easily deflected them with a water-whip and the chains wrapped themselves around the man instead. Katara smirked slightly then hit the rhino on the rear with her water-whip and the animal dashed away.

Xiaodan and Sokka snuck down some stairs and onto the street between two members of the Rough Rhinos. Sokka grinned and adjusted his monocle so that is reflected the sunlight right into the eyes of the Rough Rhinos' archer. The archer turned and blindly shot a burning arrow at the two teen. Xiaodan ducked down quickly and Sokka gasped as the flaming arrow pierced his hat then embedded itself into the saddlebag of the bomb-happy Rough Rhino. Xiaodan and Sokka grinned at each other and ducked down for cover just as the other man noticed the flaming arrow embedded in his bomb-filled saddlebag. The man quickly grabbed the bag and tossed it away, but it was too late and the force of the blast caused him and his rhino to smack into the wall of a nearby building.

Xiaodan laughed madly as she and Sokka covered their heads from the flying debris and the man's helmet rolled past them while another bag landed right in front of Sokka, his boomerang sticking out.

"Boomerang!" Sokka exclaimed happily as he grabbed the weapon and waved it around enthusiastically, "You do always come back!"

"Duck!" Xiaodan shouted, interrupting Sokka's happy reunion with his boomerang as she yanked him down beside her, a flaming arrow flying over their heads.

The white-haired girl snatched Sokka's dragon-shaped pipe from his belt and threw it at the archer, who had notched another burning arrow. The mouth of the pipe slid over the burning arrow and extinguished the fire. The archer stared at his extinguished arrow in surprise and Katara used that moment to sneak up behind him and cut his saddle cord with a water-whip. The archer slid of the rhino with a gasp, his foot getting caught in the stirrup and Katara struck the rhino's backside with her water-whip. The rhino reared back with a growl and charged down the street, dragging the flailing archer away.

* * *

Aang snapped his fans closed and held them behind his back as he stopped at the mouth of an alley in the village where the leader of the Rough Rhinos had appeared at the other end of the alleyway. The two stared at each other for a moment then the leader urged his rhino forward, using Firebending to increase his speed. Aang ran forward and jumped, pushing off the wall of the alley and he swung his fans, dispersing the flames that the leader of the Rough Rhinos shot at him as he backflipped over the man.

Aang landed behind the man in a crouch, sliding back a few feet as Kyoshi's headdress and fans landed beside him. The young Airbender quickly created an air scooter and the two charged at each other again, Aang avoiding the Firebender's blast by zooming under the rhino's belly and emerging behind the man. Aang twisted around and shot a powerful stream of air at the man, but the Firebender avoided it by sliding to the side of his saddle.

Aang dispersed his air scooter and turned to face the man again, the two of them staring silently at each other again from opposite ends of the alley. A beat of silence past then the two were charging at each other for a third time. The leader of the Rough Rhinos fired a powerful blast of fire that consumed the whole alley and Aang jumped into the air, propelling himself right through the blast feet first as he surrounded himself with an air shield. Aang's feet slammed into the Firebender, knocking him right off his rhino and straight through a wooden fence. Aang landed lightly on his feet in a defensive position as he stared at the downed man warily then he straightened when he realized the leader of the Rough Rhinos wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

* * *

"From now on, we'll celebrate a new Avatar Day in honor of the day Avatar Aang saved us from the Rough Rhino Invasion!" Mayor Tong exclaimed grandly later that night as fireworks went off in the village and he gestured towards Aang, Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka, each holding a bowl and grinning happily.

"What is this?" Sokka asked as he looked curiously into his bowl, staring at the Aang-shaped pieces of dough.

"That's our new festival food!" Tong said gleefully, his hands clasped in front of him, "Un-fried dough. May we eat it and be reminded of how on this day the Avatar was not boiled in oil."

The villagers cheered happily but the four teens stared at each other uncertainly and each of them picked up a dough cookie.

Xiaodan made a face as the cookie in her hand drooped and she sighed.

"Might as well get it over with…" She muttered and popped the dough cookie into her mouth then swallowed it a moment later, scrunching her nose up as she stared down at her bowl.

"Happy Avatar Day, everyone." Katara said with a weak smile then she followed Xiaodan's example and ate the cookie.

The dark-haired girl looked down at her bowl after she had swallowed the dough cookie, uncertain of what to make of it. Aang glanced at his sister and Katara then stuck a cookie in his mouth, half of it still dangling out of his mouth as he made a face.

"This is by far the worst town we've ever been to." Sokka stated as he stared at the dough cookie in his hand skeptically.

Aang slurped the rest of his cookie into his mouth and made another face. Sokka finally ate his own cookie then picked up another one and stared at it skeptically again.

* * *

**Author's Note: Buahaha, this episode cracks me up, it's just so hilarious. XD Anyhooties, next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 6: The Blind Bandit! I'm so excited because that's when Toph comes in and I absolutely adore Toph, she's just so kickass, so stay tuned for that chapter. Updates are still gonna be sporadic so I don't know exactly when it will be posted.**

**PS (EDITED) - I'm gonna give you guys a little challenge, alright? Whoever is the 200th reviewer will get a special shout out/promo-type thing for one of thier stories as well as a 1000-2000 word one-shot for any AtLA ship of thier choice. That includes canon, non-canon, and OC pairings, though if you have an OC you'll have to give me a description, physical and personality-wise so that I can write the OC to the best of my abilities. So without any further ado, let the craziness begin!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are amazingly awesome and I lurves you m****uchos!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Exactly, that would have been fine too. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**LadyAmazon: **Aw, thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Haha, that's a very good guess, the woman could definitely be either Xia's past life or her great great great great great great great great great great aunt, but we'll have to wait to find out! Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Good guess, our mystery lady could be Xia's mom, or it could be someone completely different, we won't know for sure until much later in the story. To answer your question; yes Xia and Aang know that they aren't blood siblings but they've been together for so long that they've basically forgotten that they aren't actually related. Xia and Aang are what I like to refer to as soul or spirit siblings, their spirits are bonded closely than even normal blood siblings, if that makes any sense at all. Anyhooties, Xia's reactions to the crazy people of Chin Village was to your expectations and I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Mayalewis16: **Aw, I'm glad you like the story so far and I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Becky: **Haha, The Swamp is one of my favorite episodes too, I think the Foggy Swamp people are excellent for comedic relief. XD Ah, yeah, love at first sight, I can't say I actually believe and that stuff, but kudos to those that do. I'm glad you think that by having Xia and Zuko's romance take time is a good idea and that it makes it more real, because that's what I aiming for. Heehee, yeah, poor Xia really doesn't know what to do about that particular part of her vision. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Bridge of fire: **Haha, well I don't know if she loves him yet, but she's definitely gonna be on her way there. ;) Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Coloured Red: **Haha, it's okay, despite being one of my favorite episodes, I forgot that Toph was introduced in it too before I started writing this story. Anyhooties, I'm glad you thought the last chapter was interesting. That's good guess, but no, Xia hasn't really remembered her duel-bending, it's still buried deep in her subconscious but it is slowly, but surely beginning to resurface. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: **Haha, I completely forgot that I had all that info in the description of the picture. To answer your question, yeah, what you read in the description is a summarized version of Xia's backstory that my sister and I collaborated on a while back. I put in the picture's description section so that I didn't forget it or anything. Anyhooties, online schooling (at least the way my school does it) is a way for students to learn at their own pace. You can take as many breaks and stuff as you want, whenever you want as long as you submit the 25 hours of schoolwork per week that's required by law, at least that's how many hours you need where I live. I hoped that helped and I hope you liked this chapter!


	27. Chapter 27: The Blind Bandit

**AN: Chapter 27 takes place during Season 2 Episode 6: The Blind Bandit, this is gonna be an exciting chapter because Xia and Toph finally meet! Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

* * *

"It's pricey…but I really do like it."

Xiaodan rolled her head to the side and stared up at Sokka blandly as the Water Tribe boy stared ponderingly at the green satchel they were all gathered around. The four had arrived at the village or Gaoling a few hours ago to buy more supplies when Sokka had spotted the green satchel in an outdoor shop and he had spent the past half an hour debating on if he should buy it or not. Aang and Xiaodan had both taken a seat on the ground while Katara stood next to her brother with her arms crossed and Momo perched on her shoulder.

"Then you should get it." Katara urged her brother, "You deserve something nice."

"I do, don't I?" Sokka said then sighed and looked the other way, "But no, it's too expensive. I shouldn't."

Xiaodan groaned quietly and tilted her head backwards, quirking a brow when she saw a man with long, shaggy hair trying to talk to a passerby while showing him a flyer.

"Alright, then don't." Katara stated exasperatedly then she walked away.

Aang and Xiaodan quickly jumped to their feet and followed her, eager to finally leave the shop. Sokka hesitated then trailed after his sister and friends, his eyes never leaving the bag as he left.

"You know what?" Sokka said suddenly as he ran back to the bag and picked it up with a pleased smile on his face, "I'm gonna get it."

Xiaodan groaned again and slapped a hand to her forehead, shaking her head in amused exasperation as she waited with Katara and Aang down the street while Sokka paid for the bag.

"Psst, psst! Hey!" The man Xiaodan had seen passing out flyers earlier whispered at them as he showed them the flyer in his hand, "Hey, you kids love Earthbending? You like…throwing rocks? Then check out Master Yu's Earthbending Academy!"

Xiaodan quirked a brow as the man handed a flyer to Aang then walked away from the three teens and back down the street. Katara and Xiaodan peered over Aang's shoulder as he read the flyer then he turned it over, his eyes lightening up.

"Look! There's a coupon on the back!" Aang said excitedly, "The first lesson is free."

Katara smiled slightly at Aang, her hands on her hips, "Who knows? This Master Yu could be the Earthbending teacher you've been looking for."

"It couldn't hurt for you to go for the free lesson, in any case." Xiaodan mused idly as Sokka rejoined them, the green bag in his arms as he peered dubiously over the white-haired girl's shoulder at the flyer.

* * *

Aang looked around Master Yu's Earthbending Academy with a perplexed expression on his face, dressed in an Earth Kingdom outfit and a green hat. The young Airbender looked around again then stuck his finger in his ear and wiggled it a bit then he sniffed his finger. He noticed he was standing in a row of younger, but serious looking kids and instantly straightened his back just as Master Yu walked towards the two rows of students. Aang glanced at the man then at the row of serious looking kids across from him, his gaze briefly landing on the rocks in front of the kids.

"Take your stance!" Master Yu ordered and the students shifted into fighting stances, with the exception of Aang, who just stood there blankly.

"Now, strike as if you're punching through your opponent's head!" Yu barked as he demonstrated the move he was talking about.

The pupils lifted their rocks into the air and Aang stared them in surprise before his attention was pulled to the young boy standing across from him as the boy fired his rock at Aang. Aang moved to lift his arms but he moved to late and the rock hit him in the stomach, sending him flying into a vase shaped like a teapot.

"So, are you ready to commit to more lessons?" Yu asked eagerly as he approached Aang's dazed form, "If you pay for the whole year in advance, I'll bump you up to the next belt!"

Aang shook his head slightly and stared up at the man, covered in so much sand and shards of pottery that only his eyes, nose, and right were visible. The sand shifted suddenly and completely covered Aang's face, leaving only his right hand visible.

* * *

Xiaodan perked up and turned her head when she noticed Aang walking out of the Academy with the other students.

"Ehhh, he's not the one." Aang said as he stopped in front of his friends and sister then smacked his right ear a few times, causing sand to fall out of his left ear.

Xiaodan gave him a curious look but he just shrugged his shoulders with a sight.

"I think the Boulder's gonna win back the belt in Earth Rumble V." An older boy said to his friend as they walked out of the Academy.

"He's gonna have to fight his way through the best Earthbenders in the world to get the chance." The second boy said eagerly as he and his friend walked down the street.

"Excuse me," Aang called out to the two boys after overhearing their conversation and he ran up to them, "But where is this Earthbending tournament, exactly?"

"It's on the Island of Noneya… 'Noneya' business!" The first boy replied, he and his friend laughing loudly as they walked away.

Sokka laughed and wiped tears of laughter from his eyes, "Oh, I got to remember that one!"

Xiaodan rolled her eyes and shared a look with Katara. The dark-haired girl smiled slightly at her then turned to Aang.

"Katara and I'll take care of this." Xiaodan stated with a grin.

"Hey, strong guys Wait up!" Katara called out as she and Xia ran after the boys around a corner, leaving Sokka and Aang to stare after them curiously.

Sokka suddenly held out his new back and stared at it, "What was I thinking? I don't need a new bag! Why did you let me buy this?"

Aang gave Sokka a weird look as he dropped the back on the ground and crossed his arms over his chest while Momo hopped off his shoulder and into the bag. The lemur turned around a few times inside the bag then settled down and closed his eyes just as Katara and Xiaodan came running back.

"You ready to find an Earthbending teacher?" Katara asked Aang with a grin, "Because we're going to Earth Rumble V!"

"How'd you get them to tell you?" Aang asked curiously as he looked at the two girls in surprise.

"Oh…a girl has her ways." Xiaodan replied airily as she and Katara exchanged sly smiles.

* * *

The two boys stared wide-eyed at the mouth of the alley where the two girls had disappeared, both of them encased in ice on opposite sides of the alley with the tops of their heads touching.

* * *

"Hey front row seats!" Aang said with a grin as he and his friends walked past an empty row of seats close to the arena, "I wonder why no one else is sitting here."

The four sit down and a rock suddenly landed in the front row next to Sokka. Xiaodan, Aang, Katara and Sokka jumped to their feet and stared at the rock in shock.

"Well, that would explain why no one else is sitting here…" Xiaodan commented drily and the four teens turned to look towards the center of the ring as the event host raised an earthen platform before bringing it back to the level of the rest of the arena.

"Welcome to Earth Rumble V!" The man shouted as he raised his left arm in the air, "I am your host, Xin Fu!"

"This is just gonna be a bunch of guys chucking rocks at each other, isn't it?" Katara asked with a sigh as she began inspecting her nails boredly.

"That's what I paid for." Sokka replied happily as the four sat back down.

Xiaodan cast a sideways glance at the dark-haired girl and quirked a brow, "Did you really expect anything else, Katara?"

"I suppose not…" Katara sighed again and Xiaodan smirked slightly as she looked back at the ring, where Xin Fu had begun to speak again.

"The rules are simple. Just knock the other guy out of the ring, and you win!" Xin Fu shouted then leapt up to a podium above the ring where he rang a bell, "Round one: The Boulder vs. The Big Bad Hippo!"

The Boulder, a tall muscular man with a beard and a large badgermole tattoo on his back lifted his arms into the as Xin Fu spoke and turned to face the cheering audience as the Hippo entered the ring. The absolutely massive man opened his mouth wide, revealing only four teeth as he roared loudly at the Boulder.

"Listen up, Hippo." The Boulder shouted as he pointed at the much larger man, "You may be big, but you ain't bad! The Boulder's gonna win this in a landslide!"

"Hippo…mad!" The Hippo roared as he threw his arms in the air and stomped one foot.

Momo squeaked and lowered himself further into Sokka's bag in fear. Xiaodan quirked a brow as the Boulder stomped his foot and lifted up a bunch of rocks from the arena for then he launched the rocks at the Hippo. The massive man didn't even move as the rocks struck his body and dust briefly hid him from view before clearing away and revealing the Hippo with one of the rocks in his mouth. The Hippo growled lowly as he chewed the rock up and spit it out then he began jumping up and down, causing the whole ring to tilt.

"Unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen!" Xin Fu shouted into a microphone as the Boulder lost his balance and stumbled backwards toward the each of the ring, "The Hippo is rocking the boat!"

The Boulder nearly tumbled off the edge of the ring but managed to save himself by Earthbending a part of the ring into a small platform beneath his hands as he bent backwards. The Boulder straightened and chucked the thick sheet of earth at the Hippo, who was busy entertaining the crowd. The slab of rock hit the massive man in the back and the Hippo whirled around to look at the Boulder, just as the other man Earthbended the section of earth the Hippo was standing on and tossed him out of the ring. The Hippo crashed into the lower area around the arena and the crowd cheered loudly.

"The Boulder wins!" Xin Fu exclaimed into his microphone as the Boulder raised his arms victoriously.

"How about the Boulder?" Katara asked Aang as she watched the muscle-bound Earthbender, "He's got some good moves."

"I don't know." Aang replied with a shrug, "Bumi said I need a teacher who listens to the earth. He's just listening to his big muscles. What do you think Xia?"

Xiaodan shrugged and rested her chin on her fist, "He listens to his muscles…"

Aang nodded then looked at Sokka, "What do you think, Sokka?"

The Water Tribe boy merely cheered loudly as he stood on his seat, waving his arms around wildly.

"Next match…The Boulder vs. Fire Nation Man!" Xin Fu called out as Fire Nation Man entered the arena while happily waving a Fire Nation flag.

The crowd and Sokka began booing the new fighter loudly, causing Xiaodan's brows to rise nearly to her hairline.

"Please, to rise for Fire Nation national anthem!" Fire Nation Man called out in a strange accent as he began to sing, "Fire Lord, my flame burns for thee!"

The man sunk down to one knee and stretched out one arm while the crowd began throwing rocks and booing at him.

"Go back to the Fire Nation!" Sokka shouted and threw a small rock at Fire Nation Man, hitting him in the head.

Xiaodan peered around Katara and Aang to stare at Sokka curiously, "You do realize, it's doubtful that he's actually from the Fire Nation right?"

Sokka just made a face her briefly then turned back to the arena as Fire Nation Man recovered from the rock hitting the side of his head just as the Boulder used Earthbending to sink him into the floor of the ring, turning the other man around to face him as he did so and causing Fire Nation Man to drop his flag.

The Boulder rose high above the other man on an earth pillar and Fire Nation Man stared up at him fearfully.

"No, no please!" The trapped man begged but the Boulder merely grinned then jumped off the pillar with his knees facing downward, grasping his ankles behind his back.

Xiaodan winced and flinched back slightly when the Boulder slammed the surface of the ring, creating a pillar under Fire Nation Man that ejected him straight into the air and out of the arena. The four teens watched as Fire Nation Man soared through the air and landed upside down on the large rock that was embedded in the stands next to them.

"Yeah! Whooo!" Sokka cheered as he jumped from his seat and thrusted both fists in the air then pointed at Fire Nation Man, "The Boulder knows how to put the hurt in the dirt."

The crowd cheered loudly and Xiaodan sighed quietly as she shook her head at Sokka's antics. The four teens watched with varying degrees of enthusiasm as the Boulder defeated several more fighters consecutively: The Gopher got slammed between two rocks, The Gecko got hit in the stomach by a broad pillar of earth mid-jump, and the Headhunter got hit with an earthen coin. And between each of his victories, The Boulder entertained the cheering crowd making his pectoral muscles move.

Finally the lights in the arena dimmed and a spotlight shone on Xin Fu, standing on the podium above the ring. Xiaodan straightened from her slouched position and leaned forward slightly, her interested suddenly peaked.

"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for." Xin Fu said dramatically as the crowd fell silent, "The Boulder vs. your champion…The Blind Bandit!"

A young girl wearing a green cape suddenly came in view, holding the championship belt above her head while two female assistants stood on either side of her. One of the assistants removed the cape while the other took the belt and the two women carried both out of the ring.

"She can't really be blind." Katara said skeptically as she looked at the young girl, "It's just part of her character, right?"

"I think she is…" Aang said quietly as he looked at the girl curiously.

Xiaodan leaned forward slightly, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the girl's milky, greenish colored eyes then sat back, her hands resting behind her head.

"I think she is…Going down!" Sokka exclaimed as he pointed downward with both hands, causing Aang to recoil slightly from his show of enthusiasm.

"The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young blind girl!" The Boulder stated, making theatrically gestures with his arms as he spoke.

"Sounds to me like you're scared, Boulder." The girl retorted mockingly as she made a scared face at the older man.

The Boulder's expression turned sour and he glared slightly at the girl, "The Boulder is over his conflicted feelings, and now he's ready to bury you in a rock-alanche!"

"Whenever you're ready, the Pebble." The Blind Bandit taunted with a wide grin as she pointed at the Boulder then she laughed manically.

Aang's eyes went wide as the girl's laughter reached his ears and his mind instantly flashed the vision he had in Foggy Swamp of a young, blind girl laughing as he chased her.

"It's on!" The Boulder shouted.

* * *

The Blind Bandit waited passively as she listened carefully for the Boulder's movements, detecting them using seismic sense just as the man slammed his heel into the ground. The blind girl raised her hands palm up and slid forward, her feet never leaving the arena floor as she sensed the Boulders movements. She then kicked her foot into the ground, sending a small wave of rocks at the Boulder, disrupting his first step and causing him to slip into the splits.

Sokka's ecstatic expression fell as he stared at the ring shock and dismay just as the Boulder tossed his head back and howled in pain. Xiaodan stared at the arena in surprise then tossed her head back and laughed loudly. The white-haired girl jumped to her feet and cheered loudly when the Blind Bandit pulled an arm back then shifted forward and swung her arm, sending up three pillars of earth that slammed into the Boulder's back and ejected him from the arena.

"Your winner, and still the champion, the Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu shouted and the crowd cheered while the blind girl smirked gleefully and raised her fist in the air victoriously.

"How did she do that?" Katara asked in shock as she stared at the girl while Sokka watched in dismay.

"She waited…and listened." Aang said quietly, his gaze never leaving the blind girl standing in the middle of the ring.

Xin Fu leapt down from the podium and landed beside the Blind Bandit, a bag in his hand.

"To make things a little more interesting, I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat the Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu called out to the crowd but was met with silence, "What? No one dares to face her?"

"I will!" Aang said eagerly as he walked into the ring.

Xin Fu turned and blinked in surprise at the boy then he shrugged and jumped back onto the podium while the boy walked forward.

"Go, Aang!" Sokka cheered with a grin, "Avenge The Boulder!"

"Do people really want to see two little girls fighting out here?" The Blind Bandit asked sarcastically and the crowd _ooh'd_.

"I don't really want to fight you." Aang replied, slightly nervous as he held his hands up in a pacifying gesture, "I want to talk to you."

"Boo! No talking!" Sokka booed then yelped when Xiaodan reached around Katara and smacked him in the back of the head without looking away from the ring.

"Don't boo at him!" Katara scolded with a scowl then she turned back to face the ring.

Aang took a step forward and the Blind Bandit smirked. She slid one foot forward rapidly, creating a small pillar that lifted Aang slightly in the air. Aang blinked in surprise as he glided behind the girl and landed lightly behind the Blind Bandit.

"Somebody's a little light on their feet! What's your fighting name: the Fancy Dancer?" The Blind Bandit snapped as she whirled around and launched another pillar at Aang, lifting him into the air again, "Where'd you go?"

"Please, wait!" Aang pleaded as he landed behind the girl again after gliding through the air again.

"There you are!" The Blind Bandit snapped and whirled around, Earthbending a rock from the arena floor and launching it at Aang.

Aang gasped then jumped up and blasted the incoming rock with a strong gust of air, the blast accidently knocking the Blind Bandit out of the ring and leaving everyone stunned.

Aang shifted out of his bending stance and looked around as the crowd began cheering. His eyes widened when he realized he had accidently knocked the girl out of the ring and he ran after her.

"Please, listen!" Aang called out to the girl as she stormed away, "I need an Earthbending teacher and I think it's supposed to be you!"

"Whoever you are, just leave me alone." The girl snapped angrily over her shoulder then she Earthbended a door in the stadium wall.

"Wait!" Aang called out again, running over to the wall just as the girl Earthbended it shut behind her and he slumped in defeat then he made his way back to the ring where Xin Fu was standing with the belt and sack of gold.

Aang shuffled over Xin Fu while Sokka ran towards the man, Xiaodan and Katara following at a more leisurely pace. Sokka hugged Xin Fu quickly, much to the man's surprise, then he took the belt and the sack of gold and held them up.

"Way to go, champ!" Sokka praised Aang gleefully as he wrapped an arm around Aang's shoulders.

Aang's shoulders slumped further and he bowed his head sorrowfully, causing Xiaodan to give him a concerned look.

* * *

"I gotta admit, now I'm really glad I bought this bag." Sokka commented happily as he, Katara, Aang, and Xiaodan walked through the village streets the next morning, his hand one the belt around his waist, "It matches the belt perfectly."

"That is a big relief." Katara stated sarcastically as she gave her brother a dry look, causing Xiaodan to chuckle quietly and shake her head.

"If we want to find the Blind Bandit, the Earthbending Academy is a great place to start." Aang said as the four walked into the Academy, where the two older male students from the other day were practicing.

"Oh great, you again." The boy with freckles said drily as he and his friend stopped practicing to stare darkly at Aang.

Katara glared at them and Xiaodan crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at them through narrowed orange eyes, causing both boys to flinch backwards.

"Yeah, I didn't think so." Katara stated coolly and Sokka smirked at his sister.

"Nicely done." Sokka complimented the two girls.

"Hey!" The second boy said when he noticed Aang and the two boys approached Aang, "You're that kid who beat the Blind Bandit."

"We need to talk to her." Aang said in reply, his tone urgent, "Do you guys know where she lives?"

"The Blind Bandit's a mystery." The freckled boy stated then raised his fist dramatically, "She shows up to fight, then disappears."

"That's not very helpful, boys." Xiaodan sighed as she shook her head then she lunged forward and caught the second boy by the collar of his shirt, "Now let's try again, do you know where she is?"

The boy held his hands up defensively and he stuttered, "No, no, I-I swear it's true! No one knows where she goes, or who she really is."

Xiaodan stared at the boy through narrowed eyes for a moment then she released him and stepped back so she was standing beside Aang again, ignoring the questioning look on Sokka's face as he stared at her.

"That's because we're asking about the wrong person." Aang said suddenly as realization dawned on him, "In my vision, I saw a girl in a white dressed with a pet flying boar. Know anybody like that?"

"Well, a flying boar is the symbol of the Beifong family." The freckled boy replied while his friend hid behind him, "They're the richest people in town. Probably the whole world."

"Yeah, but they don't have a daughter." The second boy piped in from behind his friend.

"Flying boar is good enough for me." Aang said as he started walking away, gesturing for his friends to follow him, "Let's check it out."

"Yeah, you better leave…" The freckled boy muttered quietly as he and his friend sneered at the four teens' retreating backs.

"Hey! I've got my eye on you." Katara snapped as she turned slightly to glare at the two boys then followed Aang and Xiaodan out of the Academy.

"Water Tribe." Sokka said coolly with a smirk as he followed his sister and two friends.

* * *

"I'm telling you, The Boulder was standing right there." The Boulder said as he stood in front Xin Fu back at the Earth Rumble V venue, "I saw the kid strike, but there was no Earthbending. Nothing made contact. The Blind Bandit just fell out of the ring. She must've took a dive and split the money with the kid."

Xin Fu slammed his fist against the wall, causing rocks on his feet and he cried out in pain and anger, "Nobody cheats Xin Fu."

* * *

"That's the flying boar from my vision!" Aang said excitedly as he looked at the intricate symbol above the heavily guarded gate to the Beifong estate, "Come on!"

The four teens quickly made their way around back, Xiaodan and Aang Airbending themselves while Katara and Sokka climbed over the estate's outer wall and into a gardened area. The four run into the garden and stop behind a small tree, peering around it cautiously. Suddenly the ground beneath them began to rumble and then they were launched several feet into the air by the earth being pushed up from underneath them, causing the four to scream slightly as they began to fall back to the ground. Aang and Katara landed each landed on a bush and Sokka hit the ground between them while Xiaodan landed on top of him with a grunt.

Aang tilted his head back and blinked in surprise when he saw the Blind Bandit standing in front of him in an elegant white dress.

"What are you doing here, Twinkle Toes?" The blind girl demanded angrily.

"How'd you know it was me?" Aang asked curiously, still lying on top of the bush.

"Don't answer to Twinkle Toes, it's not manly!" Sokka scolded as he stared at Aang in exasperation from his sprawled out position on the ground.

"You're the one whose bag matches his belt." Katara commented drily accompanied by an eye roll.

Xiaodan snorted a laugh and rubbed her head as she sat up, still sitting on Sokka's back.

"How did you find me?" The blind girl asked in annoyance.

"Well, a crazy king told me I had to find an Earthbender who listens to the earth." Aang explained as he Airbended himself out of the bush and stood in front of the girl while Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan got to their feet and wondered over to him and the girl, "And then I had a vision in a magic swamp, and-"

"What Aang is trying to say is, he's the Avatar." Katara broke in as Aang began to ramble, "And if he doesn't master Earthbending soon, he won't be able to defeat the Fire Lord."

"Not my problem." The girl snapped as she thrusted a hand in front of Katara's face then began walking away, "Now, get out of here, or I'll call the guards."

"Look," Sokka stated, sounding vaguely desperate as the girl stopped walking, her back to them, "We all have to do our part to win this war, and yours is to teach Aang Earthbending."

The girl whirled around slightly and called out in a frightened voice, "Guards! Guards, help!"

Xiaodan, Aang, Katara, and Sokka looked at each other briefly then they scattered and hid in the garden as two guards came running towards the girl.

"Toph, what happened?" One of the guards asked in concern as he came to a stop in front of the young girl while the other began looking around warily.

"I…thought I heard someone." The blind girl, Toph replied weakly as she turned to face the guard with a meek expression on her face, "I got scared."

"You know your father doesn't want you wandering the grounds without supervision, Toph." The guard chided gently then he and the other guard escorted her out of garden.

Aang peered at the girl and the guards from the rooftop he had hidden on, a sly smile appearing on his face as he quickly climbed down from the roof.

* * *

Lao and Poppy Beifong sat in their reception room, drinking tea as they met with Master Yu. Lao took a sip of his tea then carefully put the cup down as he addressed the Earthbending master.

"I'm pleased to hear Toph's private lessons are going well. But I want to be sure she's not trying anything too dangerous."

"Absolutely not." Yu replied with a small smile as he looked at the young, blind girl sitting beside him, "I'm keeping her at a beginner's level. Basic forms and breathing exercises only."

"Very good." Lao said with a nod before his attention was pulled to the servant that had entered the room.

"Excuse me, sir, but you have a visitor." The servant reported to Lao, his head bowed respectfully as he spoke.

"Who thinks they are so important they can just come to my home unannounced?" Lao asked, sounding vaguely annoyed.

"Uh…" The servant stammered slightly, "The Avatar, sir."

Lao and Poppy shared a surprised look, not noticing the way Toph's eyes widened and she straightened slightly in her chair.

* * *

Lao sat at the head of the dining table, smiling slightly as he looked from where his wife and Master Yu sat beside Toph on one side of the table while the Avatar and his friends sat on the other side of the table.

"Blow on it. It's too hot for her." Lao ordered when a servant placed a cup of steaming tea in front of Toph.

"Allow me." Aang said pleasantly then sent a small tornado at the cup, cooling the liquid instantly and causing Lao, Poppy, and Yu to clap.

"Avatar Aang, it's an honor to have you visit us." Poppy stated graciously as she picked up her spoon to eat her soup, while Xiaodan and Katara gave Sokka disgusted looks as he shoveled food into his mouth.

"In your opinion," Lao addressed Aang suddenly, pulling the young Avatar's attention away from Sokka's grotesque eating habits, "How much longer do you think the war will last?"

"I'd like to defeat the Fire Lord by the end of summer," Aang replied then smirked slightly as he looked over at Toph, "But I can't do that without finding an Earthbending teacher first."

"Well, Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land." Lao said with a light chuckle, "He's been teaching Toph since she was little."

"Then she must be a great Earthbender! Probably good enough to teach someone else!" Aang said slyly as he rested an arm against the back of his chair while Toph's face remained blank as she shifted her bare foot underneath the table and sent a fissure of earth at Aang, causing him to jump slightly in his hair with a yelp, "Ow!"

Lao gave his daughter an odd glance, but Toph merely began to eat her dinner. Xiaodan gave an amused giggle which she quickly turned into a cough when everyone turned to stare at her and she continued to eat her own food, a small smile playing at her lips.

"Toph is still learning the basics." Yu told Aang gently.

"Yes, and sadly, because of her blindness, I don't think she will ever become a true master." Lao said as he looked at his daughter, not noticing the stunned looked Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan exchanged.

"Oh, I'm sure she's better than you think she is." Aang commented drily and Toph used Earthbending to jerk his chair forward, causing his face to fall into his soup.

Everyone stopped eating to stare at him, Xiaodan muffling her giggles behind her hand. Aang lifted his head and pushed the bowl stuck to his face onto the top of his bald head. Lao looked between Aang and his daughter strangely, but Toph simply continued to eat again as if nothing was wrong.

Aang wiped the soup from his eyes then he smirked slightly as he got an idea and he sneezed loudly, sending the food flying into Yu, Poppy, and Toph's faces.

A bowl fell from Toph's face and she lurched to her feet, slamming her hands on the table angrily, "What's your problem?!"

"What's _your_ problem?!" Aang retorted just as angrily as he too leaned across the table.

Lao continued to look between his daughter and the Avatar, his chopsticks paused halfway to his mouth while Yu cleaned his face with a napkin and his wife smiled pleasantly.

"Well, shall we move to the living room for desert, then?" Lady Beifong questioned lightly, her pleasant smile never wavering.

Xiaodan snorted quietly into the teacup she was about to drink from, her lips quirked in amusement as she watched Aang and Toph scowl at each other over the rim. She really like the spunky younger girl.

* * *

"Goodnight, buddy." Aang said as he petted Appa's head through the window of the guestroom the Beifong family was letting them stay in.

Xiaodan stood beside him and pressed an affectionate kiss to Appa's nose, "Sweet dreams, big guy."

Suddenly Toph entered the guestroom and leaned against the doorjamb. Aang yelped and shifted into a defensive position when he turned around and saw the blind girl in the room.

"Relax." Toph stated drily, "Look, I'm sorry about dinner. Let's call a truce, okay?"

Aang stared at her warily for a moment dropped his defensive position. Toph nodded once then turned around, leaving the room. Xiaodan smiled then nudged him forward by bumping him with her hip and Aang made a slight face at her at then he followed after the blind girl, leaving Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan alone in the guestroom.

* * *

The two headed out in the large yard of the estate, Toph balancing along the edge of the bridge while Aang walked beside her.

"Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem seeing." Toph said suddenly then she jumped off the bridge and landed on the ground easily, "I see with Earthbending. It's kind of like seeing with my feet. I feel the vibrations in the Earth, and I can see where everything is."

"You," Toph said then tilted her head slightly to indicate the tree not far from her, "That tree…even those ants."

Aang looked around, but he couldn't spot the ants Toph was talking about.

"That's amazing!" Aang said as he grinned at the girl, completely awestruck.

"My parents don't understand." Toph stated with a sigh as she began walking towards the outer wall, "They've always treated me like I was helpless."

"Is that why you became the Blind Bandit?" Aang asked curiously as he walked beside her.

"Yeah."

"Then why stay here where you're not happy?" Aang questioned in confusion as they came to a stop in front of the outer wall.

"They're my parents. Where else am I supposed to go?" Toph retorted like it was obvious.

"You could come with us." Aang offered kindly with a small smile.

"Yeah. You guys go wherever you want. No one telling you what to do, that's the life. It's just not my life." Toph replied drily with a certain amount of sadness.

Toph jerked her head to the side when she suddenly detected something and she crouched down, placing her hand on the ground.

"We're being ambushed!" Toph exclaimed then grabbed Aang's hand as she began running back to the house.

The two were suddenly got off by the Gopher jumping in front of them from underground and Toph shifted into a defensive position with Aang doing the same beside her. Before the two benders could even defend themselves, metal cages were suddenly dropped on them, imprisoning them both inside. The Hippo jumped from the wall and landed on top of the metal cages, which he began to stomp on as the rest of the Earth Rumble wrestlers and Xin Fu jumped to the ground.

"I think you kids owe me some money." Xin Fu stated with a smirk.

* * *

Xiaodan crossed her arms tightly over her chest as she began to pace restless around the two large holes in the ground. Lao and Poppy, along with Master Yu stood off to the side with worried and horrified expressions on their faces while Sokka and Katara looked around. Sokka spotted a note attached to a dagger that was embedded in the ground between the two holes and he quickly picked it up.

"Whoever took Aang and Toph left this." Sokka stated as he slipped the note off the dagger and handed it to his sister.

"'If you want to see your daughter again, bring five hundred gold pieces to the arena.'" Katara read the note and Xiaodan stopped in pacing for the moment, "It's signed Xin Fu and The Boulder."

"I can't believe it…" Sokka said as he looked over his sister's shoulder then snatched the note from her hand, "I have The Boulder's autograph."

"Sokka!" Xiaodan snapped reproachfully as she glared at the boy.

"Master Yu," Lao addressed the Earthbending master as his wife walked over to the two holes in the ground, "I need you to get my daughter back."

"We're going with you." Xiaodan said instantly, her tone brooking no argument as her orange eyes blazed with anger.

"Poor Toph," Poppy whispered brokenly, "She must be so scared…"

* * *

"You think you're so tough?" Toph shouted angrily from her metal cage that was suspended high in air above the Earth Rumble V's arena alongside Aang's own metal cage, "Why don't you come up here so can snap that grin off your face."

"I'm not smiling." Xin Fu deadpanned from the center of the ring where he and The Boulder were guarding the hostages.

"Toph!"

Xin Fu turned around and smirked when he saw Lao Beifong, Master Yu, the two Water Tribe siblings and the white-haired girl standing on the other side of the ring.

"Here's your money." Sokka said as he held up the sack of gold then put it on the ground, "Now let them go."

Yu Earthbended the money across the ring to Xin Fu. The man grabbed the money and he signaled for Toph's cage to be set down then The Boulder released her. Toph quickly ran over to her father and he placed his hand comfortingly on her shoulder as he led her from the arena, Master Yu following them.

"What about Aang?" Xiaodan demanded as her fists clenched at her sides.

Xin Fu smirked and showed the three teens the Fire Nation wanted poster, "I think the Fire Nation will pay a very hefty price for the Avatar. Now get out of my ring."

Xiaodan growled angrily and reached for her staff while Katara put a hand on her flask and Sokka reached for his boomerang. The three teens paused when Fire Nation Man suddenly appeared in an earth tornado, The Gecko jumped down from the ceiling, The Hippo leapt into the ring and smashed a boulder with his face, Headhunter jumped into the ring from the stands, and The Gopher popped up from the ground.

Aang looked down at his friends worriedly as they stood together defensively in front of the group of Earthbenders.

"Go," Aang urged quickly, "I'll be okay."

"Not gonna happen, little brother." Xiaodan stated matter-of-factly as she prepared to step forward but Sokka grabbed her arms and pulled her out of the ring with him and his sister.

Sokka kept a tight hold on the furious, white-haired Airbender as he followed Katara towards the entrance to the Earth Rumble venue, where Toph, Lao, and Master Yu were still walking.

"Toph, there's too many of them." Katara called out pleadingly to the blind girl, "We need an Earthbender. We need you!"

"My daughter is blind." Lao snapped as he turned around to glare at the three teens standing at the end of the tunnel, his hand clasped tightly around Toph's, "She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile! She cannot help you."

Toph's brows furrowed as she listened to her father's words then she yanked her hand from his grasp.

"Yes, I can." She stated firmly as she turned and walked back down the tunnel towards Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan, leaving her father to stare after her in shock.

The four reached the ring just as the Earth Rumble wrestlers were preparing to leave, The Hippo holding Aang's cage over his shoulder when a large rock spike appeared in front of them, preventing them from leaving. The Earthbending wrestlers turned around and stared in surprise at Toph, who was standing slightly in front of Katara, Sokka, and Xiaodan.

"Let him go!" The blind girl ordered firmly, "I beat you all before and I'll do it again!"

"The Boulder takes issue with that comment!" The Boulder snapped and the Hippo tossed Aang's cage to the side.

Katara, Xiaodan, and Sokka prepared to attack but Toph held her arms out to stop them.

"Wait!" Toph said as she listened to the vibrations the wrestlers created as they ran towards her, "They're mine."

Toph slammed one foot against the arena floor then she began to slowly raise her hands in the air, the arena beginning to tremble violently under the feet of the still running wrestlers. The shaking became more violent and Toph suddenly pulled her arms in close to her body and stomped her foot against the ground, sending up a massive cloud of rocks and dirt that sent the wrestlers flying to the other side of arena. Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka watched in shock and awe as Toph walked into the resulting dust cloud, unnerving her father, who was sitting in the stands beside Yu.

Toph came across Fire Nation Man first and the man gasped when he saw her standing across from in the dust cloud. He quickly shifted into a bending position and Toph smirked slightly as she sensed his movements, moving to the side effortless as she dodged stream of sand and dirt Fire Nation Man launched at her. Toph then thrusted her arm forward, Earthbending a portion of the arena floor upward into multiple pillars that slam into Fire Nation Man and eject him from the arena. Lao and Yu watched as the man slammed into the edge of stands then fell to the ground around the arena, their eyes wide with shock as their mouths hung open.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sokka, Katara, and Xiaodan were trying to release Aang from the metal cage he was trapped in just outside of the massive dust cloud that had engulfed most of the ring. Sokka was repeatedly banging a rock against the cage while Katara and Xiaodan tried to pry open the bottom part.

"Hit it harder!" Aang said urgently from inside the metal cage.

"I'm trying!" Sokka retorted in frustration as he began hitting the cage harder with the rock.

* * *

The Gecko crawled along the floor of the ring as he looked around warily when a pebble suddenly smacked him in the head and he looked behind him with a scowl. His scowl deepened when he saw Toph standing calmly behind him, a smug smirk on her face, and The Gecko jumped into the air, firing two rocks at the girl. Toph easily diverted the rocks to either side of her then she slammed the heel of her foot in the ground, hitting The Gecko with a series of rock pillars she bended up from the ground until she finally launched him out of the arena, where he crashed into Fire Nation Man, who had stumbled to his feet only moments earlier.

The Gopher suddenly tunneled behind Toph, but the blind girl easily sensed him coming and shifted her feet in preparation. The Gopher burst from the ground behind Toph and launched a rock at her head, but Toph spun around and caught the rock in one hand then she threw it back at him. The Gopher's eyes went wide just before the rock slammed into his face with enough force to knock him out of the ring and straight into Fire Nation Man and The Gecko.

* * *

Sokka slammed the rock one of the cage's hinges, breaking it off and releasing Aang, who lunged out of the cage with his hands raised in an offensive position as he prepared to fight. Sokka quickly held up his hand to stop the younger Airbender and shook his head, then pointed to dust cloud just as the Hippo emerged, swinging an earthen coin. Xiaodan smirked and hopped onto the cage, sitting cross-legged as she placed her elbows on her knees with her chin resting on her fists.

The Hippo prepared to swing the earthen coin but he was distracted when The Boulder was suddenly thrown out of the dust cloud. The Boulder shook his head and quickly scrambled to his feet then turned around to face the dust cloud while The Hippo tightened his grip on the earthen coin. Toph slid out of the dust cloud, her feet never leaving the ground as she held her hands up at chest level with her palms facing her. The Boulder growled and took a deep breath, pushing his hands together as if he was squeezing something while The Hippo held the earthen coin on one shoulder and pounded at his chest with his free hand. Lao sat in the stands and watched his daughter in terror as he bit his nails.

Headhunter suddenly swung in from behind Toph, a rock in one hand as The Hippo and The Boulder charged towards the girl to distract her, but Toph had already heard him coming and she Earthbended the center of the ring around so that Headhunter was on a collision course with The Hippo and The Boulder instead. Unable to stop, Headhunter slammed into the other two wrestlers, knocking them all down. Aang, Sokka, and Katara stared at Toph in awe while Xiaodan grinned widely from her perch on the empty metal cage. Toph stood several feet in front of the wrestlers and a smirk curled the corner of her lips as she quickly Earthbended them out of the ring and onto the other three defeated wrestlers below.

"I never knew." Yu said in shock as he put his hands on his head then gestured towards Toph, "Your daughter's amazing!"

Lao didn't say anything as he crossed one arm over his chest and rested the other arm against it, his hand cupping around his mouth as he continued to stare at his daughter.

Toph bowed her head as she raised her hands in the air then she brought them down in a single, firm movement, clearing the dust cloud and revealing Xin Fu standing at the opposite side of the arena while Aang, Xiaodan, Katara and Sokka stood at the edge near the middle.

Xin Fu cracked his neck then shifted into a bending stance and Toph merely spits off the side, causing her father to cringe in disgust. Toph shifted into her own bending stance and two Earthbenders began to circle around the earthen coin still embed in the in ground in the middle of the ring. Xin Fu made the first move, his brow furrowing in determination as he bended up a large rock and kicked it at Toph then he quickly brought up two smaller rocks and kicked them at her, then he kicked several more rocks at Toph in rapid succession. Toph quickly brought up an earth shield, deflecting all the rocks then launched part of the shield at the man. Xin Fu dodged the piece of earth by jumping and twisted his body horizontally through the air.

He speared his hand through the ground and Toph instantly picked up his vibrations, sensing his attack and she turned to the side, easily dodging the rock Xin Fu had thrown at her. Then Toph swung her arm as she twisted back around to face Xin Fu, creating a fissure in the ground that sent the man flying out of the ring where he landed between Yu and Lao.

Sokka collapsed to the ground in utter shock while Katara and Aang are left standing and staring at Toph in amazement.

"Whoo!" Xiaodan whooped, jumping to her feet and punching her fist into the air then she ran over to Toph, Aang and Katara following her a moment later.

"She's the greatest Earthbender I've _ever_ seen!" Yu exclaimed as he stared at Toph in awe while her father looked at her with a stricken expression on his face.

* * *

"Dad, I know it's probably hard for you to see me this way." Toph said gently as she stood in front of her parents in their reception room, Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Xiaodan sitting on a bench behind her, "But the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am, just isn't me. I love fighting. I _love_ being an Earthbender, and I'm really, really _good_ at it. I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world. You were doing it to protect me, but I'm twelve years old and I never had a real friend. So, now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me."

"Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph." Lao replied calmly as he stared at his daughter, "It's made me realize something."

"It has?" Toph questioned in surprise as she turned her head in the direction of his voice.

"Yes." Lao said and his voice suddenly became stern as his wife began to nod in agreement, "I've let you have far too much freedom. From now on you'll be cared for and guarded twenty-fours a day."

Xiaodan felt her jaw drop and she stared at Lao Beifong in disbelief, unable to wrap her mind around what the man had just said to his daughter.

"But, Dad!" Toph protested, her eyes going wide.

"We're doing this for your own good, Toph." Poppy said gently, oblivious to the way her daughter's face fell and her unseeing eyes began to water.

"Please escort the Avatar and his friends out." Lao ordered one of his servants as he got to his feet, "They are no longer welcome here."

The four teens stood when the servant approached them and walked towards the door. Xiaodan suddenly twirled around the servant and ran back over to Toph, wrapping the younger girl in a warm hug that ended a moment later when a servant came over and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from Toph. Xiaodan yanked her arm from the servant's grasp and walked over to where Sokka, Aang, and Katara were waiting by another servant.

"I'm sorry, Toph." Aang said over his shoulder as the servants ushered the four out of the room.

"I'm sorry too." Toph replied sadly as a tear slid down her cheek, "Goodbye Aang."

* * *

Xiaodan pursed her lips and crossed her arms as she stared at the Beifong estate from the hill several miles away. The white-haired girl glanced to the side when Aang walked up beside her and stared looked at the estate with a sad expression.

"Don't worry, we'll find you a teacher." Katara said in an attempt to reassure Aang as she stood on his other side, "There are plenty of amazing Earthbenders out there."

"Not like her." Aang replied sadly and the three stared out at the estate for a moment before turning towards Appa, where Sokka was polishing the championship belt in the bison's saddle.

Katara climbed into the saddle beside her brother while Aang and Xiaodan jumped onto Appa's head, Aang taking the reins. Xiaodan furrowed her brow slightly and looked behind Appa when she heard what sounded like running feet and panting, her orange eyes widening when she saw Toph racing towards them.

"Toph!" Xiaodan exclaimed in surprise and happiness as the young Earthbender stopped beside Appa, panting for breath.

"What're you doing here?" Aang asked, his voice sound just as excited and surprised as his sister as he looked down at the girl.

"My dad changed his mind." Toph replied easily as she straightened and took a step forward, "He said I was free to travel the world."

Sokka and Katara shared skeptical glanced before Sokka smiled down at the younger girl.

"Well, we'd better get out of here, before your dad changes his mind again." The Water Tribe boy commented and Toph nodded.

"Good idea."

"You're gonna be a great teacher, Toph." Aang said to the girl from atop Appa's head, a grin on his face.

"Speaking of which, I want to show you something." Toph said with a smirk.

"Okay." Aang said eagerly then jumped down and his feet barely touched the ground before Toph saddened Earthbended up pillar of rock and sent him flying to the air, where he landed in a tree a moment later.

"Now we're even." Toph said by way of explanation as Xiaodan laughed loudly at her brother's expense then Toph held her hand up, "Um, I'll take the belt back."

Sokka frowned and unbuckled the belt from around his waist then he tossed down to Toph, accidently hitting her in the head and knocking her over.

"Ow!" Toph yelped and Sokka cringed as he peered over Appa's saddle at the sprawled out girl on the ground.

"Sorry." Sokka apologized weakly.

"I think our adventure just got even more fun." Xiaodan quipped with a laugh as she clapped her hands excitedly, then she laughed again as Aang fell out of the tree.

* * *

"I know you two are very different. But I believe you have a common interest." Lao Beifong addressed Yu and Xin Fu, who were standing in front of him, and servant brought out a chest of gold and sat it down on the table in front of the two men.

"The Avatar has kidnapped my daughter." Lao stated calmly, "I want you to do whatever it takes to bring her home."

Yu and Xin Fu glanced at each other then bowed in agreement.

* * *

Toph smiled contentedly and closed her eyes as she leaned against the saddle while Appa flew away from her home and towards an unknown destination, her adventures with her new friends just beginning.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoo! I absolutely love, love, **_**love **_**this episode! It's so awesome because Toph totally kicks ass six ways from Sunday! I hope everyone was in character during this chapter and I hope y'all liked it because I honestly think it's my favorite chapter of the story so far. Anyway, I'm super excited for the next chapter and I hope you lovely readers are too, because it's gonna be an entire freaking chapter dedicated to Zuko, with only small amount of Xia thrown in, just to spice it up. And yes, that means the next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 7: Zuko Alone! Squee! Updates are still sporadic, so stay tuned for when that chapter is posted! **

**PS - The challenge is still going on! I actually had someone point out that I made a typo, instead of the 100th reviewer getting a shout out for their story as well as a 1000-2000 word oneshot for whatever AtLA ship they want, it was supposed to be the _200th_ reviewer. So let the craziness recommence!**

**Special THANKS to everyone who faved and/or alerted! You guys rock and I lurves you muchos!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Nizuna Fujieda: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you like this one too!

**Molly Grace 16: **I never really liked the episode either, the townspeople annoyed the hell outta me. Haha, I'm glad you liked Xia's little yelling bit, the townspeople are lucky I decided to not have her blow them all out of the amphitheater. XD  
Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Same here, the mayor annoyed me. I hope you liked this chapter!

**Bridge on fire: **Thank you, I try to do my best to make it seem like each chapter is an actually episode. I hope you liked this chapter!

**Cat of Flames: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last episode! I hope my portrayal of Toph met you expectations and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Napoleon Dynamit: **Thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far! As for your question, haha, I meant 200th reviewer, I totally forgot that I had already reached 100, I'll have to go change that. XD Thanks for pointing that out. I'll be choosing the 200th reviewer for the challenge. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**88dragon06: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last two chapters! Xia's swamp vision was a bit tricky to write since I didn't want her to seem Mary-Sueish or anything. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Becky: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter, even with the douchebag mayor. Anyhooties, I hope Toph was up to your expectations and I hope you liked this chapter!


	28. Chapter 28: Zuko Alone

**AN: Chapter 28 takes place during Season 2 Episode 7: Zuko Alone, this is gonna be almost entire Zuko-centric with a few Xiaodan moments just to spice things up and move the whole Zukia romanciness (and yes, I did just make that word up, pretty awesome, huh?), so it's not gonna be as long as the previous chapters. Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

**PS – **_'Memories/Thoughts/Dreams'_

* * *

Zuko pursed his lips and bowed his head slightly to keep the bright sun out of his eyes, his straw hat shadowing his face as he rode his stolen ostrich-horse through a barren area. The ostrich-horse stumbled slightly, but Zuko was able to keep the creature upright and walking with a small nudge of his heels in its sides. The creature gave an indignant squawk but continued to trudge down the dirt road until Zuko pulled it to a stop in front of a decrepit-looking bridge that crossed over ravine.

Zuko stared at the bridge contemplatively for a moment then nudged the ostrich-horse forward, the creature groaning quietly before it started walking across the bridge. The banished prince had only made it about halfway across the bridge when the ostrich-horse's foot suddenly fell through one of the wooden planks, causing the creature to squawk in panic as it began to struggle to get its foot loose. Zuko gritted his teeth as he pulled the reins tautly until he managed to get the panicking creature under control, then the two continue crossing the bridge.

The ostrich-horse trudged down the dirt road cutting through a swath of grassland while Zuko hunched forward slightly in the saddle. The banished prince straightened and took a deep breath, his eyes widening slightly when he smelled food cooking and he hurriedly pulled the ostrich-horse to a stop. The scarred prince looked around him for a moment, then spotted a man crouched beside a small fire below the ridge Zuko had been walking along, a steak cooking over the fire.

Zuko stared at the steak and grabbed his growling stomach then he let his hand fall on the hilt of his dao swords, preparing to steal the food from the man. The scarred teen hesitated when he saw the man stand and walk over to a small tree where a woman was sitting. The man crouched in front of the woman and Zuko let the hilt of his swords go when he saw the man rub the woman's very pregnant belly. Zuko carefully bowed his head slightly and nudged the ostrich-horse back into a slow walk.

* * *

Zuko swayed slightly in the saddle as his ostrich-horse plodded down the road that cut through the grasslands covered in broken Earth Kingdom rocks. He shook his head slightly and lifted his water pouch to his lips, drinking the small amount that was left thirstily. The scarred prince sighed as he tucked the empty pouch away, his eyesight becoming blurry from hunger and exhaustion.

Zuko shook himself awake with a quiet gasp when his eyes had drifted shut and he straightened his back, but a second later he hunched forward again and his eyes began to drift close again. As his eyes closed again, Zuko's mind flashed back to his mother as she smiled before disappearing down a dark corridor. The scarred prince snapped his eyes open quickly but kept his head bowed, the hot sun beating down on him and his ostrich-horse as they continued down the dirt path.

Zuko pulled his mount to a stop and he stared down at the small, obviously poor Earth Kingdom town just below the ridge he was standing on. The prince nudged the ostrich-horse and the creature groaned again then it began slowly walk towards the small town. Zuko glanced around the small village from under the wide brim of his hat, taking in the poorly constructed wooden buildings.

"Come on, spider snake-eyes!" An Earth Kingdom soldier said excitedly then rolled a pair of dice which landed with two fives face-up, "Ha, ha! Yeah!"

The two other soldiers crouched on either side of the man quickly turn and punch him in the stomach once each while the man's arms were raised, causing the first soldier to grunt with each hit. A fourth man, clearly the leader of the small band of soldiers smirked slightly as he watched.

Zuko eyes narrowed slightly as he rode past the four Earth Kingdom soldier, his gold eyes briefly catching the ringleader of the four soldiers, who was glaring at him suspiciously. Zuko's eyes narrowed and he glared back, then pulled his ostrich-horse to a stop beside a small merchant store. The banished prince dismounted from the saddle and walked towards the merchant standing behind the small counter in front of the store.

"Can I get some water, a bag of feed and something hot to eat?" Zuko asked as he held out his hand, showing the merchant the two coins in his palm.

"Not enough for a hot meal." The merchant said apologetically as he looked at the coins then the scarred teen, "I can get you _two_bags of feed."

Zuko nodded once and looked down, suppressing a disappointed sigh as the merchant entered the store behind him. The prince glanced casually to the side, catching sight of the four Earth Kingdom soldiers watching him before he noticed two young boys hiding beside the merchant's counter. One of the boys giggled quietly then threw an egg at the four soldiers, hitting one of them in the head.

"Ow!" The hit soldier yelped as egg dripped off his head.

The banished prince quirked a brow slightly as the two boys exchanged worriedly looks then ran off as the soldier that got hit spun around with an angry scowl on his face while the others turned around as well.

"Hey!" The leader of the soldiers shouted when all they saw was the stranger by the merchant's counter, "You throwing eggs at us, stranger?"

"No." Zuko replied shortly without turning around.

"You see who did throw it?"

Zuko turned slightly to face the four soldiers, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his dao swords, "No."

"That your favorite word, no?" The soldier that had gotten hit with the egg demanded aggressively.

"Egg had to come from somewhere." The leader stated, ignoring what his man had just said as he glared at Zuko.

"Maybe a chicken flew off." Zuko responded drily as he turned back around.

One of the soldiers laughed and the leader glared at him darkly, causing him to shut up instantly. The merchant returned then with two bags of feed in his arms and made to give the bags Zuko, but the leader of the small band of soldiers stepped forward and snatched them away from the merchant.

"Thanks for your contribution. The army appreciates your support" The leader said with sarcastic sincerity as he tossed the bags to one his fellow soldiers, "You better leave town. Penalty for stayin's a lot steeper than you can afford, stranger. Trust me."

Zuko's eyes narrowed dangerously when the leader of the soldiers patted one of the hammers hanging from his waist menacingly while his men walked away.

"Those soldiers are supposed to protect us from the Fire Nation." The merchant commented as the four soldiers walked away with Zuko's feed bags, "But they're just a bunch of thugs."

Zuko didn't say anything as he walked back over to his ostrich-horse and put his foot in the stirrup, preparing to remount the creature. Just as he was about to swing into the saddle one of the boys from earlier appeared on the other side of the animal.

"Thanks for not ratting me out!" the boy said gratefully as he gave Zuko a wide, gap-toothed smile.

Zuko ignored the boy and swung into the saddle, nudging the ostrich-horse forward with his heels. The boy watched the scarred teen with an annoyed look before his expression brightened and he rushed in front of the ostrich-horse, grabbing the reins.

"I'll take you to my house and feed your ostrich-horse for you." The boy offered then began leading the animal away before Zuko could even reply, "C'mon, I owe you!"

Zuko pursed his lips slightly but didn't protest as the boy lead the ostrich-horse through the town by the reins. He gritted his teeth slightly and held his stomach when it began to growl.

* * *

Zuko looked around with bemused curiosity as the boy led his ostrich-horse down a dirt path that cut through a large pig farm among the mountains in the countryside. At the end of the dirt path is a little wooden farmhouse, a large wooden barn with a roof that needed to be re-shingled, and several pens full of hybrid pigs.

"No one can ever sneak up on us." The boy, Lee, said with amusement as he and Zuko walked past the noisy hybrid pigs.

"No kidding." Zuko responded with a barely suppressed snort of amusement.

Lee grinned up at him then led the ostrich-horse towards the barn while Zuko waited near the end of the dirt path. The banished prince glanced to the side and quirked a brow when he saw a pig-rooster standing on one of the fence posts. The pig-rooster crowed at him and Zuko's gave it a weird look before his attention was pulled away from the hybrid creature when a man in his late thirties walked towards him, a woman peering curiously from behind the farmhouse.

"You a friend of Lee's?" the man asked warily as he stood in front of the scarred teen just as Lee came running out of the barn and grabbed the man's arm.

"This guy just stood up to the soldiers!" Lee said excited to the man, obviously his father, "By the end, he practically had them running away!"

The woman who had been peering from behind the farmhouse walked forward and stood beside her husband and son, wiping her hand on a rad.

"Does this guy have a name?" The woman inquired good-naturedly, if not a little warily.

"I'm…uh…" Zuko stuttered slightly but was saved from answering when Lee's father spoke up again.

"He doesn't have to say who he is if he doesn't want to, Sela." The man chided gently as he smiled at his wife then looked back at Zuko, "Anyone who can hold his own against those bully soldiers is welcome here. Those men should be ashamed to wear Earth Kingdom uniforms."

"The real soldiers are off fighting the War, like Lee's big brother Sensu." Sela added quietly as she glanced at her young son, who was staring at the ground then she looked up at Zuko again with a kind smile on her face, "Supper's going to be ready soon. Would you like to stay?"

"I can't." Zuko said carefully with a small shake of his head, "I should be moving on."

Sela frowned and gave her husband a look, "Gansu could use some help on the barn. Why don't you two work for a while, and then we'll eat."

Zuko hesitated then nodded in agreement when he realized there was no way he could get out of it anyway. Sela smiled brightly at him then returned to the farmhouse to finish preparing supper while Gansu led Zuko over to the bard with Lee trailing behind them.

* * *

"You don't seem like you're from around here." Lee commented as he watched his father and Zuko re-shingle the roof from the ladder he was resting on.

"Mm-mm." Zuko muttered as he shook his head slightly, trying to focus on doing a good job at re-shingling the roof, but failing slightly.

"Where are you from then?" Lee persisted and Zuko lowered his hammer, looking up at the sky with a faraway expression on his face.

"Far away."

"Ohhh." Lee said interestedly while Zuko picked up the hammer again, "Where are you going?"

"Lee, give it a rest." Gansu scolded as he gave his son a stern look, "Stop asking the man personal questions, got it?"

"Yes." Lee sighed disappointedly and rested his head on his arm, remaining quiet for a moment before asking, "So how'd you get that scar?"

Zuko jumped slightly in surprise at the abrupt question and swung the hammer down a little too hard, striking his thumb. The scarred prince hissed and groaned quietly in pain, his thumb now red and throbbing. For some reason, Xiaodan popped into his head and he could practically hear her laughing at him, causing him to scowl faintly and he shook his head in an attempt to get her out of his head.

"It's not nice to bother people about things they might not want to talk about." Gansu scolded his son, more firmly than last time, "A man's past is his business."

Gansu gave his son a hard look then went back to hammering, Zuko following suit a moment later while Lee just sighed again but remained quiet.

Zuko stared at the shingles as he began reminiscing about the past, the repetitive sound of hammering filling his ears.

'_A woman dipped a finger into a small pond then held her hand out, revealing the breadcrumbs resting in her palm. Zuko smiled as he sat beside his mother by the pond in the Royal Gardens, watching as a baby turtle-duck swam forward and ate the breadcrumbs from her hand. Three other baby turtle-ducks swam towards them, quaking eagerly in hopes of receiving some breadcrumbs like their sibling while their mother swam after them at a more languid pace._

"_Hey mom, wanna see how Azula feeds turtle-ducks?" A young Zuko asked then he threw the rest of the bread loaf into the water, hitting one of the baby turtle-ducks._

"_Zuko!" Ursa gasped quietly in shock as she looked at her son, "Why would you do that?"_

_The baby turtle-duck resurfaced and shook its head, then it turned to look as its mother approached. The mother turtle-duck nudged her baby away then charged at Zuko, giving his ankle a hard bite._

"_Ow! Ow, ow! Ouch!" Zuko yelped as he kicked his foot in an attempt to get the angry mother turtle-duck to let go of his ankle._

_Ursa smiled slightly and walked forward, easily removing the mother turtle-duck from her son's ankle then she tossed her back into the pond gently. The mother turtle-ducked quaked once then swam off with her babies, Zuko watching them go with a pout on his face._

"_Stupid turtle-duck." Zuko grumbled in annoyance as he pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, "Why'd she do that?"_

"_Zuko…That's what moms are like. If you mess with their babies…" Ursa explained gently then she put her arm around her son and playful snapped her teeth, "Ahrm! They're gonna bite you back."_

_Zuko laughed and leaned against his mom's side, the two looking out over the gardens with happy expressions on their faces…'_

Zuko continued to help re-shingle the barn roof, but his mind continued to drift as his thoughts wondered from that day at the pond with his mother to a different memories.

'_Azula pursed her lips slightly as she did a two cartwheels then tried to do a round-off, only to trip and fall onto her backside with a grunt. Ty Lee giggled quietly then took a step forward and cartwheeled twice then did a round-off before doing a complicated backflip, landing on her feet perfectly with her arms held out proudly. Azula scowled slightly then pushed her friend over and laughed._

"_Ugh! Azula!" Ty Lee gasped as she glared slightly over her shoulder at the laughing princess, Mai watching disinterested from beneath the tree the three girls were playing near._

_Mai noticed Zuko and Ursa walking past and she smiled then quickly looked away, a blush forming on her cheeks. Azula looked between her friend and brother curiously for a moment, before a mischievous grin formed on her face and she turned towards Ty Lee, a plot forming in her mind._

"_Watch this!" Azula whispered in Ty Lee's ear, causing the girl to giggle then Azula ran towards her mother and brother, "Mom! Can you make Zuko play with us? We need equal teams to play a game!"_

"_I am _not_ cartwheeling." Zuko stated vehemently he gave his sister a narrow-eyed look._

"_You won't have to." Azula retorted with an eye roll, "Cartwheeling's not a game, dum-dum."_

"_I don't care." Zuko snapped back while Ursa looked between her two children wearily, "I don't want to play with you!"_

"_We _are_ brother and sister. It's important for us to spend time together!" Azula said with a sickly sweet smile on her face as she turned to look up at her mother, "Don't you think so, Mom?"_

"_Yes, darling. I think it's a good idea to play with your sister." Ursa agreed then she ruffled Zuko's hair affectionately, "Go on now, just for a little while."_

_Ursa turned and walked away while Zuko glared suspiciously at his younger sister as she led him into the yard she and her two friends were playing in. Azula grinned widely and quickly maneuvered Mai away from the tree she had been sitting under until she was standing in front of the fountain in the yard while Zuko stood a little bit away with Ty Lee._

"_Here's the way it goes. Now what you do is, try to know the apple of other person's head, like this." Azula explained as she took an apple from the tree and placed it atop Mai's head then she ran back so she was standing with Ty Lee and her brother._

_Mai looked at up at the apple on her head then back at Azula, just as the princess sent a jet of flame at the apple with her Firebending, catching the apple on fire. Zuko gaped in shock and ran forward to help, causing Mai to scream slightly as he ran towards her. The young prince tried to reach for the burning apple, but only succeeded in slamming into Mai, knocking them both into the fountain with Zuko landing on Mai's stomach._

"_See, I told you it would work!" Azula crowed with a laugh as she put her hand on Ty Lee's shoulder and the two stared down at Zuko and Mai, both of them blushing in embarrassment._

"_Aw, they're so cute together!" Ty Lee cooed with a giggle as Zuko stomped out of the fountain angrily._

"_You two are such…ugh!" Mai snapped angrily as she glared at her two friends._

_Zuko scowled darkly as he stomped back to the house just as his mother was exiting, heading towards the children with a scroll of paper in her hand._

"_I was just coming to get you. Uncle Iroh sent us a letter from the war-front." Ursa said when she spotted her son, who merely stomped past her, leaving small puddles behind him as he went, "You're soaking wet?"_

"_Girls are crazy!" Zuko said by way of reply as he threw his hands up in frustration, leaving his mother to watch him stomp into the house with a perplexed look on her face._

* * *

_Iroh sat in his tent on a small hill that overlooked the large gap in the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, sitting at his desk as he wrote a letter to his family._

"_If the city is a magnificent as its wall, Ba Sing Se must be something to behold." Iroh murmured quietly to himself as he wrote, "I hope you may all see it someday, if we don't burn it to the ground first!"_

_He chuckled to himself and shook his head then he continued to write._

* * *

_Zuko and Azula laughed at the joke while Ursa smiled and continued to read the letter._

"_Until then, enjoy these gifts." She read, glancing up when two servants dressed in white entered the room, her children eagerly running to meet them._

"_For Zuko, a pearl dagger from the general who surrendered when we broke through the Outer Wall. Ursa continued to read as Zuko took the dagger from one of the servants, "Note the inscription and the superior craftsmanship."_

_Zuko looked at the dagger admiringly then unsheathed hit and read the inscription on the side of the blade, "Never give up without a fight…"_

"_And for Azula, a new friend." Ursa spoke as her daughter took the doll wearing a green dress from the other servant, "She wears the latest fashion for Earth Kingdom girls."_

_Azula held the doll by the head, making disgusted sounds and sticking out her tongue as she looked at it._

"_If Uncle doesn't make it back from war, then Dad will be next in line for Fire Lord, wouldn't he?" Azula asked innocently as she turned to look at her mother, the doll's head still in her grasp while her brother played with his new dagger._

"_Azula, we don't speak that way." Ursa chided her daughter sharply then she softened her voice, "It would be awful if Uncle Iroh didn't return. And besides, Fire Lord Azulon is a picture of health."_

"_How would you like it if cousin Lu Ten wanted Dad to die?" Zuko added as he stopped swinging his dagger around and turned to face his sister._

"_I still think our dad would make a much better Fire Lord than His Royal Tea-Loving Kookiness." Azula muttered as she turned away from her mother and brother then set the doll's head on fire with a malicious grin on her face._

_Ursa pursed her lips and eyed her daughter warily…'_

* * *

Zuko sighed quietly in his sleep as he laid on a pile of hay inside the barn, his dreams haunted by his memories. The barn door creaked open a small crack and Lee peered in cautiously then he crept inside when he saw that Zuko was asleep. The young boy snuck forward as quietly as he could until he reached the hay pile the scarred teen was sleeping on then Lee carefully took the sword sheath from where Zuko had hung it on a hook near the hay pile. He froze when the scarred teen made a noise in his sleep but when he didn't wake up, Lee quickly grabbed the swords and rushed out of the barn as quietly and quickly as he could manage, closing the door behind him with soft creak. Zuko's eyes snapped open after feigning sleep and he sat up then followed the young boy that had taken his dao swords.

Lee stood in the large sunflower garden on his parents' farm, slashing and jumping around as he chopped the heads off of several sunflowers with the dual blades. He was completely unaware of his audience as he began to stab a dead tree trunk repeatedly, his tongue sticking out slightly as he started breathing heavily from exertion.

"You're holding them wrong."

Lee fell backwards in surprise and he slowly got to his feet, the top of a sunflower on his head. He looked nervously at the scarred teen standing with his arms crossed a few feet away from him in the sunflower garden. Lee's expression became ashamed and held the blades out to Zuko when he walked closer to Lee.

"Keep in mind, these are dual swords." Zuko explained patiently as he put the swords together then took them from Lee's hands, "Two halves of the same weapon.

"Don't think of them as separate, 'cause they're not." Zuko said as he took several steps back and began swinging and twirling the swords around him, demonstrating his skill, "They're just two different parts of the same whole."

He cut off the head of a sunflower then straightened and walked back over to Lee, holding the swords out to him, so the young boy could try again. Lee smiled and took the swords then began mimicking the moves Zuko had just shown him, being much more careful and less awkward with the weapons. Zuko watched as the young boy slashed the swung the swords then jumped and pushed off the dead tree trunk, landing a few feet away. Lee turned back to look at Zuko with an eager expression and the scarred teen smiled kindly at him, nodding his head in approval. Lee grinned back widely and laughed happily. Zuko watched him practice for a few more minutes, then the two walked out of the sunflower patch.

"I think you'd really like my brother Sensu." Lee commented, glancing up at the older boy as he walked beside him, "He used to show me stuff like this all the time."

Zuko nodded slightly but remained silent.

* * *

"Here," Sela said as she offered a package to Zuko after he had mounted his ostrich-horse the next morning, "This ought to get you through a few meals."

Zuko reached for the package with a grateful expression when something caught his attention and he looked up, noticing a cloud of dust in the distance. His eyes narrowed when he saw it was the four soldiers from the other day riding in on ostrich-horses. Gansu stepped so he was standing next to Zuko's ostrich-horse.

"What do you think they want?" He asked warily without looking away from the soldiers riding towards his farm.

"Trouble." Zuko replied as he glared at the approaching Earth Kingdom soldiers.

The hybrid pigs began squealing and making noise as the riders drew to a halt a few feet in front of Gansu and Zuko.

"What do you want, Gow?" Gansu demanded calmly, shifting slightly so that he was standing protectively in front of his wife and youngest son with Zuko on his ostrich-horse beside him.

"Just thought someone ought to tell you that your son's battalion got captured." The leader, Gow, said with a smirk then he addressed his men, "You boys hear what the Fire Nation did with their last group of Earth Kingdom prisoners?"

"Dressed 'em up in Fire Nation uniformed and put 'em on the front line unarmed, the way I heard it." One of the soldiers replied then he spat on the ground, "Then they just watched."

"You watch your mouth!" Gansu snapped angrily while Sela stared at the Earth Kingdom soldiers with a horrified expression on her face.

Gow nudged his ostrich-horse towards Gansu but Zuko cut him off by maneuvering his own mount between the Earth Kingdom soldier and the farmer. The two glared at each other for a moment, Zuko's gold eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Why bother rooting around in the mud with these pigs." Gow sneered after a moment, unwilling to let his men know the stranger had unnerved him then he turned his mount around and rode away with his men.

Zuko watched them go, his mind unwillingly remembering a similar situation.

'_A younger Zuko laughed as he chased Azula around the yard while their mother sat calmly in front of the fountain in the middle of the yard. A servant dressed in white suddenly approached the peaceful Fire Lady, a scroll in his hands. Ursa took the scroll from the messenger then opened it with a curiously. The woman gasped quietly and stood up, tears sliding down her cheeks as she held the scroll loosely at her side._

"_Iroh has lost his son." Ursa said calmly when Zuko approached her, "Your cousin Lu Ten did not survive the battle."_

_Zuko stared at his mother in shock and sadness but Azula just looked on with disinterest several feet behind her brother, her arms crossed loosely over her chest…'_

Zuko shook his head slightly and stared out at the dirt path leading towards the pig farm, his ostrich-horse still positioned protectively in front of the family standing behind him. Gansu was holding his wife in a tight embrace as she cried quietly into his shoulder while Lee stood slightly to the side, looking up at his parents worriedly.

"What's gonna happen to my brother?" The young boy asked apprehensively.

"I'm going to the front." Gansu said firmly as he pulled away from his wife, holding her by the shoulders, "I'm going to find Sensu and bring him back."

Gansu hugged his wife again then led her back to the farmhouse as she cried desperately, leaving Lee standing a few feet away from Zuko. The young boy ran towards the scarred teen, his face hopeful.

"When my dad goes…" He started to ask hopefully as he looked up at Zuko, "Will you stay?"

"No. I need to move on." Zuko replied quietly then reached behind him and took out a sheathed dagger then he bent down and gave it to Lee, who took it with a faint smile, "Here, I want you to have this. Read the inscription."

Lee unsheathed the dagger and looked at it confusedly, "Made in Earth Kingdom."

"The other one." Zuko corrected patiently and Lee turned the dagger around, looking at the other inscription on the blade.

"Never give up without a fight." Lee muttered, glancing away from the dagger just in time to see the scarred young man ride away.

Lee ran after him for a few moments then stopped, clutching the sheathed dagger in his hand as he watched Zuko disappear down the dirt road.

Zuko closed his eyes slightly as he rode away, his memories catching up with him again.

'_Zuko slashed the air with the dagger his uncle had sent him then clutched his chest dramatically as he faked his death, falling to the floor of the Royal Palace with a groan. Azula quirked a brow as she watched her brother from her spot sitting cross-legged in a chair behind him._

"_You waste all your time playing with knives." The young princess sniped meanly, "You're not even good!"_

"_Put an apple on your head and we'll find out how good I am!" Zuko retorted angrily as he jumped to his feet and glared at his younger sister._

_Azula gave him a disinterested look and changed the subject, "By the way, Uncle's coming home."_

"_Does that mean…we won the War?" Zuko asked in confusion as Azula hopped from the chair and walked towards him._

"_No." Azula replied drily, "It means Uncle's a quitter _and_ a loser."_

"_What are you talking about?" Zuko snapped in annoyance as he glared at his sister, "Uncle 's _not _a quitter!"_

"_Oh yes he is! He found out his son died and he just fell apart." Azula retorted cruelly as she walked towards a pillar and began to circle it then she leaned her back against it and crossed her arms, "A real general would stay and burn Ba Sing Se to the ground, no lose the battle and come home crying."_

"_How do you know what he should do?" Zuko asked angrily as he watched Azula, "He's probably just sad his only kid is gone. Forever."_

_Azula opened her mouth to retort but snapped it shut when her mother appeared in the doorway._

"_Your father has requested an audience with Fire Lord Azulon." Ursa said hurriedly, "Best clothes, hurry up!"_

_Zuko ran past his mother quickly to get ready while Azula followed at a slower pace._

"_Fire Lord Azulon…Can't you just called him 'Grandfather?'" The young girl asked drily as she approached her mother, "He's not exactly the powerful Fire Lord he used to be. Someone will probably end up taking his place soon."_

"_Young lady!" Ursa said sharply as she stared down at her daughter, "Not another word!"_

_Azula sniffed slightly and ran past her mother, heading towards her chambers to get ready._

_Ursa watched her daughter leave wearily, "What is wrong with that child?"_

* * *

"_And how was it Great-Grandfather Sozin managed to win the Battle of Han Tui?" Ozai questioned his children as he sat on the floor with them and his wife in front of Fire Lord Azulon's throne._

"_Great-Grandfather won…because…" Zuko began to answer then faltered._

"_Because even though his army was outnumbered, he cleverly calculated his advantages." Azula cut in before her brother could finish his answer, "The enemy was downwind and there was a drought. Their defenses burned to a crisp in minutes."_

"_Correct, my dear." Ozai praised his daughter, "Now, would you show Grandfather the new moves you demonstrated to me?"_

_Azula smirked slightly as she stood up and took a few steps forward. She stood facing Azulon with her heels pressed together while her fists rested against her sides at chest-level, then she quickly thrusted her hands out to her sides before raising them perpendicularly to her body. Her family watched as she brought her left arm parallel to her right then bent her knees in a quick squat before moving back to its original position perpendicular to her body. She then folded her atop each other in front of her waist. Her warm-up finished, Azula began making circle motions with her arms as she stretched one foot back into a lunge-position then she quickly turned and kicked her foot out, shooting fire from her fist and the bottom of her foot. _

_Azula then jumped slightly to the side and spun around, shooting a stream of fire at the floor while Ozai watched with a small, proud smile on his face. The young princess continued to demonstrate the complicated new Firebending moves while Zuko watched in amazement from his seat beside his father. Azulon watched his granddaughter with a blank expression as she finished her demonstration by jumping into the air and kicking fire upward before she landed in a kneeling position in front of his throne, her head bowed._

"_She's a true prodigy!" Ozai praised as his daughter walked back over to her family, "Just like her grandfather for whom she's named."_

_Azula smirked as she retook her seat next to her brother, whispering derisively to him form the coring of her mouth, "You'll never catch up…"_

_Zuko jumped to his feet angrily, "I'd like to demonstrate what I've been learning."_

_Ozai's eyes narrowed slightly and he frowned as he watched his son walk forward a few steps. Zuko took a deep breath and started off his demonstration by performing the same warm-up that his sister did, manage to produce a small burst of flame from his fist when he began Firebending. He quickly tried to create another blast by jumping up and kicking out his foot, but he falls down before he could. Zuko quickly got back to his feet, panting heavily as he tried again only to fall down again even harder, causing Azula to smirk slightly as she watched her brother fail._

_Ursa hurriedly got to her feet and approached her son worriedly._

"_I failed." Zuko muttered ashamedly as he pushed himself to his knees just as his mother kneeled beside him and helped him the rest of the way._

"_No. I loved watching you." She said gently, comfortingly, as she put a hand on his cheek, "That's who you are Zuko. Someone who keeps fighting even though it's hard."_

"_Prince Ozai, why are you wasting my time with this pomp?" Fire Lord Azulon demanded harshly, ignoring his daughter-in-law and grandson as he stared down at his son coolly, "Just tell me what you want. Everyone else, go!"_

_Ursa stood and walked in front of her children as they left the throne room. She was unaware of the fact that Azula had grabbed her brother's arm and pulled him behind one of the tapestries hanging on either side of the exit. _

"_What are you-?"Zuko started to ask but Azula shushed him as she pulled him over to where a crack between two tapestries was located and the two peeked back into the throne room curiously._

"_Father, you must have realized as I have, that with Lu Ten gone, Iroh's bloodline has ended. After his son's death, my brother abandoned the siege at Ba Sing Se, and who knows when he will return home." Ozai said humbly as he sat before his father, "But I am here, Father, and my children are alive."_

"_Say what it is you want!" Azulon demanded, tired of his youngest son's word games._

"_Father, revoke Iroh's birthright." Ozai implored carefully as he bowed before his father, "I am your humble servant, here to serve you and our nation. Use me."_

"_You dare suggest I betray Iroh? My first born? Directly after the demise of his only beloved son?" Azulon practically roared in outrage as the fire in front of his throne leapt with his anger, "I think Iroh has suffered enough! But you…Your punishment has scarcely begun!"_

_Zuko sucked in a quiet breath in fright then he ran away from behind the tapestry and out of the throne room while Azula stayed behind to continue watching, an evil little smile on her face._

* * *

_Zuko laid on his side in the middle of his large bed, staring at the wall blankly then he jerked into a sitting position when he heard his door suddenly creak open. His eyes narrowed he saw Azula leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed._

"_Dad's going to kill you." She said in a sing-song voice then her tone turned serious as she turned her head to smirk cruelly at her brother, "Really, he is."_

"_Ha-ha, Azula." Zuko replied drily as he sat up and glared at his sister, "Nice try."_

"_Fine, don't believe me. But I heard everything. Grandfather said Dad's punishment should fit his crime." Azula said indifferently as she walked further into the room then imitated Azulon's voice,"'You must know the pain of losing a first-born son! By sacrificing your own!'"_

"_Liar!" Zuko snapped in angry disbelief._

"_I'm only telling you for your own good." Azula snipped with a sniff then her expression brightened and she sat on the edge of Zuko's bed, "I know! Maybe you could find a nice Earth Kingdom family to adopt you!"_

"_Stop it!" Zuko barked, now more angry than disbelieving as he glared at his sister, "You're lying! Dad would never do that to me!"_

"_You father would never do what to you?" Ursa asked curiously as she appeared in the doorway of Zuko's room and looked between her two children, "What is going on here."_

"_I don't know…" Azula said innocently, her eyes widening slightly when Ursa walked into the room and grabbed her by the arm._

"_It's time for a talk." Ursa stated firmly as she pulled her daughter out of Zuko's room, Azula reluctantly following her._

_Zuko gripped his blanket tightly and closed his eyes as his mother and sister left his room, the door closing behind them._

"_Azula always lies. Azula always lies." He muttered like a mantra…'_

* * *

"Azula always lies…" Zuko muttered to himself after the memory faded and he stared up at the sky, lying in the green grass on a hill several miles from the farm.

The scarred prince sat up when he heard an ostrich-horse squawking then he blinked in slight surprise when he saw Sela sitting at the front of a hay cart.

"You have to help! It's Lee—the thugs from town came back as soon as Gansu left. When they ordered us to give them food, Lee pulled a knife on them! I don't even know where he got a knife! Then they took him away!" Sela called out desperately as she hopped off the cart and approached Zuko, sobs catching in her throat, "They told me if he's old enough to fight, he'd old enough to join the army. I know we barely know you, but…"

"I'll get your son back." Zuko promised as he got to his feet and headed over to his ostrich-horse, which had been grazing quietly several feet away.

* * *

Zuko rode through the small archway that served as the entrance into the small town, the sun setting behind him. The people that had been outside quickly scattered and hurried back into their homes or stores when they saw him coming. Zuko's eyes narrowed when he spotted Lee tied to one of the water tower's posts.

"Hey! There he is!" Lee exclaimed excitedly as he lifted his head and stared hopefully at Zuko as the older teen approached him, "I told you he'd come!"

The Earth Kingdom soldiers quickly got to their feet and walked out from under to the tower as they prepared to face the stranger while Gow exited one of the buildings across the street.

Zuko pulled his ostrich-horse to a stop then dismounted and took off his hat.

"Let the kid go." Zuko ordered as he took a few steps forward and stood in front of Gow and his men.

Gow laughed loudly then quickly regained composure and glared at Zuko, "Who do you think you are, telling us what to do?"

"It doesn't matter who I am." Zuko replied calmly, "But I know who you are. You're not soldier, you're bullies. Freeloaders, abusing your power, mostly over women and kids. You don't want Lee in your army—you're sick cowards messing with a family who's already lost one son to the war."

"Are you gonna let this stranger stand there and insult you like this?" Gow demanded as he looked at one of his men.

The soldier scowled then charged forward with his spear in hand. The man thrusted his spear at Zuko's head, but the scarred prince sidestepped easily then he ducked down and unsheathed his dao blades slightly, punching the man in the stomach with the hilt. Zuko straightened and sheathed his sword, watching passively as the man slid feet across the ground then began to crawl away hurriedly.

The other's soldiers watched their comrade run away then one of the shook his head with a growl and runs to attack Zuko with his own spear. Zuko shifted back a step then lunged forward as the man's spear came at him and he pushed the weapon up and to the side, then he grabbed the man's forehead and pushed him to the ground roughly. The man gaped up at him for a moment then scrambled to his feet and ran the other way, following the first soldier's example by fleeing down the street.

Zuko glanced to the side and turned when he saw a third soldier charging at him with his spear raised offensively. The scarred teen stood impassively the man got closer then he took a step forward and kicked the spear right in the middle once it was closer enough, snapping it in half. The spearhead, along with the upper half of the spear goes flying in the other direction and the soldier gasped, dropping what was left of his spear then turning tail and running away like the two previous soldiers. Lee cackled loudly from his spot still tied to the post, a huge grin on his face as a crowd gathered along the streets to watch the fight, his mother among the crowd.

Gow's eyes narrowed as he watched the last of his men run away in terror then he unhooked his dual hammers from his waist and turned to face the scarred young man, shifting into a fighting stance. Zuko unsheathed his dao blades then pulled them apart as he shifted into his own fighting stance.

With a grunt, Gow slammed one hammer into the ground and Earthbended up a rock from the ground then he used his second hammer to launch the rock at Zuko, who easily shattered it with a single slash from both of his swords. Gow's eyes narrowed again and he quickly attacked again, this time Earthbending up three large rocks which he launched at Zuko with his hammers in quick succession. Zuko gritted his teeth and deflected the first two with the edges of his swords, but the third one caught him in the stomach and caused him to stumble back a few steps. The scarred teen quickly straightened, unperturbed by the blow, then he charged at Gow with his swords crossed in front of him.

"Give him a left!" An old man in the crowd cheered, "A left."

"It's not a fistfight…" The old man's wife stated drily as she looked at her husband.

"He's got a left sword, don't he?" The old man retorted with a huff and the old woman rolled her eyes.

Gow smirked slightly and Earthbended up three rocks again, launching them at Zuko in quick succession as the young man charged at him. Zuko responded the same way he did last time, easily deflecting the first two as he continued to run towards Gow, but he brought his swords in front of his chest to deflect the last one a little too late and it struck him in the abdomen, knocking him onto his back. Zuko quickly used the momentum from his fall to somersault backwards and to his feet, though he stumbled back several feet. Gow smirked cruelly.

"Look out!" the old man shouted worriedly from the crowd.

"Behind you!" Lee shouted a moment after the man, his eyes widening as he watched Gow use Earthbending and his hammers to launch several larger rocks at Zuko.

Zuko grunted quietly each time he deflected one of the increasingly larger rocks with his blades and he was forced back a step with each attack. Gow continued Earthbending rocks at Zuko, giving him little to no time to recover from each hit. Both men were fighting at full force, although only Gow was on the offensive since Zuko was too busy deflecting the Earthbender's rocks to actually attack Gow.

Gow smirked savagely and sent one more rock at Zuko then stopped, but before the scarred young man could recover, Gow Earthbended a small avalanche at him. The crowd and Lee gasped in shock and horror as the rocks slammed into him and sent him flying back several feet where he landed roughly on the on his back, his head slamming into the ground. Zuko clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth as the sudden pain caused his mind to flashback to the past.

'_Zuko slept peacefully in his bed the same night Azula had come into his room saying his father was going to kill him when he was suddenly shaken awake. _

"_Mom?" He mumbled drowsily as his eyes opened and he looked up at her blearily._

"_Zuko, please, my love, listen to me." Ursa said urgently as she pulled her son into a sitting position, her hands on his shoulders, "Everything I've done, I've done to protect you."_

_She quickly pulled her barely conscious son into a tight embrace, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head. She quickly glanced over her shoulder when she heard footsteps then she held Zuko at arms' length again._

"_Remember this, Zuko." She said pleadingly, "No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are."_

_Ursa pressed another kiss to his forehead then stood up and turned away from him, pulling the hood of her cloak up then she disappeared down the dark hallway…'_

Zuko shuddered slightly as the flashback faded but he didn't open his eyes, his ears easily picking up the sounds of Gow approaching him.

"Get up…!"Zuko heard Lee whisper worriedly from several yards away.

Gow smirked down at the prone form and raised his hammers for the final blow when Zuko's eyes suddenly snapped opened. Zuko grabbed his swords from the ground and he twisted around fluidly as he rose to his feet, Firebending a hurricane of flames around him as he rose. Gow cried out in shock and dropped his hammers as the flames knocked him onto his back. The flames cleared and Gow stared up in horror at the seething, scarred young man standing above him with his dao blade at his sides.

Gow scowled then rolled to his feet and raised his fists, determined to finish the fight even though he was now unarmed. Zuko snarled and charged the other man, slashing his swords as he shot multiple fireballs at Gow. The Earthbender threw up a shield of rock in an attempt to deflect the fireballs, but the blasts are too powerful and he is knocked backwards again, this time hitting the side of a building, debris falling onto his head.

"Who…who are you?" Gow demanded weakly, lifting his head to stare at the scarred young man.

"My name is Zuko. Son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai." Zuko replied proudly as he stood in front of the downed Earthbender, his dao blades smoking slightly at his side then he sheathed them, "Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, and heir to the throne."

"Liar!" The old man that had been cheering him on previously shouted angrily, "I heard of you! You're not a prince, you're an outcast! His own father burned and disowned him!"

Zuko ignored the old man as he kneeled in front of Gow, causing the Earthbender to shudder in fear, but Zuko does nothing to harm him and merely takes the dagger he had given Lee back. The scarred prince then straightened and walked over to where Lee was being untied by Sela, the dagger held in his hand.

"Not a step closer!" Sela barked defensively as she stood protectively in front of Lee and Zuko stopped a few feet in front of them.

"It's yours." Zuko said quietly as he held the dagger out to Lee, who was peering at him from around his mother, "You should have it."

"NO! I hate you!" Lee shouted angrily as he and his mother walked away.

Zuko flinched slightly and closed his eyes, the young boy's words causing him to have another flashback.

'_Zuko jerked awake with a start and sat quickly, looking around._

"_Mom?" He called out then jumped out of bed then ran out of his room and down the hall, "Mom? Mom!"_

_Zuko entered the front room of his family's quarters in the Royal Palace, a frown appearing on his face as he looked for his mother, unaware of Azula admiring his dagger from behind one of the pillars in the room. She quickly re-sheathed the blade and stepped out from behind the pillar to face her brother, a smirk forming on her face as she hid the dagger behind her back_

"_Where's Mom?" Zuko demanded when he noticed his sister leaning against one of the pillars._

"_No one knows." Azula replied with a disinterested shrug then she waved Zuko's dagger around casually, "Oh, and last night, Grandpa passed away."_

"_Not funny, Azula! You're sick." Zuko snapped as he gave his sister a disgusted look then his eyes narrowed when he noticed she had his dagger, "And I want my knife back, now."_

"_Who's gonna make me?" Azula asked with a sneer as she ducked away from her brother when he tried to grab the knife then she held it out tauntingly, "Mom?"_

_Zuko growled slightly and lunged forward, snatching the knife from his sister's hand then he dashed out of the room to keep looking for his mother. He ran towards the Royal Gardens, pausing for only a moment when he saw his father standing beside the pond then he ran forward._

"_Where is she?" Zuko asked, almost pleadingly but Ozai doesn't acknowledge him and merely continued to stare down at the pond in silence._

_Zuko stared at the back of his father's head for a moment, then he bowed his own head in defeat, his shoulders slumping when he realized that his mother was gone._

* * *

"_Azulon. Fire Lord to our nation for twenty-three years." The Great Fire Sage intoned as he and the other Sages stood on a raised dais where Azulon's coffin and funeral pyre were with Ozai, Azula, and Zuko standing to his right, "You were a fearless leader in the battle of Garsei. Our matchless conquer of the Hu Xin provinces. You were father of Iroh, father of Ozai, husband of Ilah, now passed. Grandfather of Lu Ten, now passed. Grandfather of Zuko, and Azula. We lay you to rest."_

_The Great Fire Sage turned to face the coffin and held up the fire crown as two of the Fire Sages dressed in right stepped up beside their red-clad leader and used Firebending to light Azulon's elaborate coffin on fire, as was customary, while Ozai moved to stand where the Great Fire Sage_

"_As was your dying wish, you are now succeeded by your second son." The Great Fire Sage intoned as he turned back around to face Ozai, who was now kneeling, then he placed the fire crown in Ozai's topknot and stepped away._

"_Hail Fire Lord Ozai!" the crowd of red-cloaked people called out simultaneously _

_Ozai rose to his feet and the group of mourners wearing red and holding flags all kneeled down once, along with the Fire Sages standing, Zuko, and Azula behind him. The young princess looked out at the crowd from behind her father with an absolutely wicked smile on her face, her gold eyes glittering maliciously. Zuko looked over at her then the kneeling crowd, his own gold eyes burning with fear…'_

* * *

Zuko remounted his stolen ostrich-horse and rode out of the small Earth Kingdom town, the villagers standing in lines on either side of him with various weapons gripped in their hands. They watch him leave with anger and hate in their eyes, but Zuko ignored them all, riding toward the setting sun just as aloe as when he arrived.

* * *

Xiaodan perched in a tree branch and watched the setting sun through slightly narrowed eyes, her lips pursed thoughtfully, her thoughts flashing back to her vision in the swamp.

'_Xiaodan used Airbending to propel herself forward and she landed lightly on the root, then walked closer figure._

_"Hello? Are you alright?" Xiaodan questioned as she took a step closer._

_Suddenly the figure whirled around and swung a pair of dao swords at her head, causing Xiaodan to yelp as she jerked away from the attack and tripped backwards, landing on her butt on the root._

_"Zuko?!" Xiaodan squeaked as she stared up at the scarred prince standing in front as he pressed the tips of his dao blades against her throat._

_Xiaodan stared up into his gold eyes, her own molten orange eyes wide with shock and slight fear. Those same gold eyes narrowed slightly then he suddenly spun away from her and darted towards the trees, leaving Xiaodan to stare at his back in bewilderment._

_"Wait!" Xiaodan shouted and leapt to her feet then she raced after the banished prince._

_Xiaodan weaved between the trees and jumped over roots as she chased after what she thought was Zuko, who somehow managed to stay several feet ahead despite the fact that Xiaodan was using Airbending to increase her speed._

_"Spirits, Firebug, would you __stop__!" Xiaodan called in irritation then skidded to a stop when she reached a small clearing in the middle of the swamp and she looked around, but the scarred prince was nowhere to be found._

_"Firebug?" She called out as she turned in a circle, her brow furrowing in confusion, "Hello, Zuko?"_

_Xiaodan shook her head in utter confusion and turned around to head back the way she had come only to freeze in place when she saw something was blocking her path…'_

"Why did I see you in my vision, Firebug?" The white-haired Airbender murmured quietly to herself as she stared at the setting sun, "Why were_ you_ the one that led me to that clearing? And why can't I seem to get you outta my head since I had that vision in the first place?"

She waited silently, hoping that maybe the wind or the sun would possibly answer her but after a moment she sighed, resigning herself to the fact that she would probably never know the answer to her questions, unless she somehow met up with a certain grouchy banished prince.

* * *

After riding several miles with his head bowed, Zuko lifted his head to stare at the sun. He narrowed his eyes slightly when mischievous, laughing orange eyes came to mind as he looked at the orange sky in front of him. The scarred prince quickly shook his head in an attempt to shake thoughts of a certain annoying, white-haired Airbender from his thoughts.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoot-whoot! I honestly didn't expect this chapter to be over 7k words, but it is! It's over 9k words, not including the Author's Note at the beginning or the end, I'm so proud of myself! Anyhooties, I hope our dear Zuzu was in character and that there aren't too many typos, since my keyboard has decided to go on the fritz. I also hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and the little Xia bits I threw in there near the beginning and at the end. Next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 8: The Chase and it will be posted whenever I get the chance since updates are still gonna be sporadic for a time, so stay tuned for **_**that**_** awesomeness because there's gonna be some Zukia action, along with some Toph/Xia sisterly bonding and of course some Xia/Azula/Mai/Ty Lee ass-whooping too! **

**PS – The winner of my 200****reviews challenge is LADYAMAZON and she gets a shout out for one of their stories as well as a 1000-2000 word one-shot of whatever AtLA pairing they want! I'll PM you, so we can talk details.**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You are awesome and I lurves you muchos!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Bridge on fire: **I know right? Toph is probably my all-time favorite female character in the series. Anyhooties, I'm glad you think I did a good job portraying her and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Break This Spell666: **Haha, thank you and don't worry, after the next chapter, there will be A LOT of Zuko/Xia interactions, some not so good and some just down right hilarious, I assure you. I hope you enjoyed the little Xia moments in this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Toph's one of my favorite characters too, she's so badass. Haha, I'm not sure yet, but she may just be a neutral party, I guess we'll find out in the next chapter though. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter because, yes, it has been_ forever_ since we've seen Zuko, which thankfully will be fixed after the next chapter.

**Ambrosia Maestro: **Awesome! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one too!

**Cat of Flames: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Haha, phew, I was a little worried about not getting Toph right, so I'm super happy you think I did a good job with her character. Anyhooties, I hope you enjoyed my rendition of Zuko Alone!

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: **Haha, I never thought of that, I guess Xia is technically a firebug too. XD Yup, both my sister's and my favorite element is fire, but I also love air so that's how Xia came to be a duel-bender. Online school is pretty awesome, but I think it's a lot harder than regular school, since teachers aren't always available to help explain things and you have to basically keep yourself on track. Anyhooties, I'm glad you liked the last two chapters!

**LadyAmazon: **Haha, I know right?! Poor Sokka, those two girls are gonna drive him nuts. I hope you liked this chapter!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Toph is hilarious. XD I hope you liked this chapter!

**FlaspointLover98: **Haha, I'm glad you like the story so far and I hope you like this chapter too!

**MidnightWolf191: **I know, although they are both tied for my all-time favorite character of the series, Toph is definitely by favorite female character and Zuko is my favorite male character. I love Zuko Alone, I think it really helps the fan better relate to him and it gives us a chance to better understand why he can be such an angry jerk sometimes. Plus, this episode is kinda vital to the whole Xia/Zuko romance in my opinion. Anyhooties, I hope you liked my rendition of Zuko Alone!

**88dragon06: **Awesome, it's a relief that everyone was in character and I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, I think butt-kicking is gonna be one of the many things Toph and Xia bond over. XD Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!


	29. Chapter 29: The Chase

**AN: Squee! Chapter 29 is here! It takes place during Season 2 Episode 8: The Chase and there is gonna be quite a bit of drama in this chapter! Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

* * *

Xiaodan quickly untied the supplies from Appa's saddle and passed one of the bedrolls to Aang, then he passed it down to Sokka, who was standing next to Appa on the ground.

"Hey! You guys picked a great campsite." Toph complimented with a smile as she wiggled her toes in the thick mat of fur covering the ground around Appa, "The grass is so soft."

"That's not grass." Xiaodan said with a laugh as she handed Aang another bag.

"Appa's shedding." Sokka explained, taking the bag from Aang and placing it on the ground by his feet.

"Oh, gross!" Katara said in displeasure as she lifted her foot warily from her spot standing beside Appa's head.

"That's not gross, it's just part of spring" Aang replied cheerfully as a bluebird perched on his head and a yellow butterfly fluttered past his head, Momo jumping up in an attempt to catch it.

"You know, rebirth, flowers blooming and Appa gets a new coat." Aang continued with a grin as he took another bedroll from Xiaodan and handed it down to Sokka.

"Ah, the beauty of spring." Katara drawled sarcastically from beside Appa as he licked his front leg.

The bison stopped grooming himself and scrunched up his nose slightly while his mouth opened wide, revealing his fur-covered tongue then he sneezed loudly, releasing a thick cloud of fur.

"Stop!" Katara yelped covered in fur as she waved her arms frantically at the bison when he began to shake himself, "Appa, stop! Ugh!"

"It's not that bad, Katara." Sokka commented, bent over with his back to his coughing sister, then he straightened and turned around, revealing a tall wig made of fur, "It makes great wig!"

"And a great beard!" Aang added as he jumped from the saddle and landed beside Sokka, stroking his bison fur beard.

Katara the two boys a deadpan-look when they pointed at each other and began to laugh, then she began brushing fur off her clothes.

"I'm just glad you finally have another girl in the group." Katara said as she continued brushing fur off her clothes, "Because you two are disgusting and Xia does nothing but encourage you two.

"Hey!" Xiaodan called out in protest from her spot still in Appa's saddle then she laughed and nodded at Katara, "Alright, you have a point there, Katara."

Toph suddenly walked up from behind Aang and Sokka, a cheeky grin on her face.

"Excuse me, does anyone have a razor?" She asked, her grin widening as she placed her hands on the back of her head, revealing that she had stuffed fur in her sleeves to make it look like armpit hair, "'Cause I've got some hairy pits!"

Xiaodan's jaw dropped as she, Aang, and Sokka stared at Toph in shock then the four began to laugh wildly, Xiaodan nearly falling out of Appa's saddle because she was laughing so hard. Aang suddenly sneeze, blowing the hair off of all of them as he flew backwards and slammed into Appa's side then he fell face first into the mat of bison fur on the ground. Sokka, Toph, Xiaodan, and Aang practically howled with laughter after that and Xiaodan actually did fall out of the saddle this time, her arms wrapped around her aching stomach.

Katara looked at the four with a perplexed expression as they continued to laugh joyfully then she began to giggle a moment later, placing her hand over her mouth to stifle her own laughter.

* * *

As night fell, Aang and Xiaodan began setting up the tent while Sokka threw down a pile of firewood he had collected and Katara used Waterbending to stir a pot of water. The dark-haired Waterbender stopped what she was doing when she noticed Toph slumped lazily against a rock, chewing on a piece of wheat and Katara got to her feet, approaching the younger girl.

"So Toph, usually when setting up camp, we try to divide up the work." Katara said as she stopped in front of the girl.

"Hey, don't worry about me." Toph stated with a casual shrug, "I'm good to go."

"Well, actually what I'm trying to say is, some of us might fetch water, while someone else might set up the fire pit, or set up the tent." Katara explained as she gestured around the camp where Sokka, Aang, and Xiaodan were busy setting up the camp just as Momo flew over to her and dropped several berries he had collected into her hands, "Even Momo does his fair share."

"Katara, I'm fine. I can carry my own weight. I don't need a fire," Toph said breezily, clearly not understanding what the other girl was trying to say as she patted her bag, "I've already collected my own food, and look…"

She quickly Earthbended a rock tent behind her, "My tent's all set up."

"Well, that's great for you, but we still need to finish-"

"I don't understand what's the problem here!" Toph cut Katara off angrily and the older girl waved her hand dismissively.

"Never mind." Katara muttered in annoyance as she walked away from Toph.

Toph gave a quiet huff and spat the wheat stalk out her mouth then she used Earthbending to push herself into her rock tent. Xiaodan quirked a curious brow after watching the whole thing then shrugged and went back to sorting to helping Aang with Appa's saddle.

Aang and Xiaodan stood on top of Appa's head and Airbended the saddle from his back, accidently causing it to land directly on top of Sokka, who had been standing on the ground beside the sky bison.

"Oops!" Xiaodan giggled apologetically as she leapt from Appa's head to help Sokka.

"Sorry!" Aang apologized quickly, jumping down after his sister in order to help the older boy.

Katara glanced over at the three as she walked past, a smile on forming on her face then she turned back around and placed the jug of water she had been carrying on the ground. The Waterbender glanced over at where Toph was sitting comfortably beneath her rock tent. Katara stared at the younger girl with a dull expression then she smiled slightly and approached Toph, who was busy eating something.

"Hey Toph, I wanted to apologize for earlier." Katara said humbly with her hands folded in front of her, "I think we're all just a little tired and getting on each other's nerves."

"Yeah, you _do_ seem pretty tired." Toph commented casually then she took another bite of her food.

"I meant all of us." Katara snapped, growing annoyed and disgusted with the younger girl's attitude.

"Well, goodnight." Toph said in reply as she lazily tossed the rest of her food on the ground and turned around, laying her head down on the ground.

"Goodnight." Katara muttered, slightly irked as she turned and left.

* * *

Later that night, the five teens were slept peacefully in their camp. Katara and Sokka were asleep in the tent while Aang slept on the sleeping bison's front legs with Xiaodan and Momo sleeping on Appa's head, and Toph was on the other side of the camp, sleeping in her rock tent.

Toph jerked awake suddenly with a soft gasp and she quickly lifted herself to her hands and knees, pressing her hands firmly against the ground. She gasped quietly again when she felt the vibrations in the earth and she furrowed her brow as a faint noise reached her ears.

"There's something coming towards us!" Toph shouted as she leapt to her feet and ran out of her tent, heading over to where the other four were sleeping.

"What is it?" Aang asked quickly as he and Xiaodan sat up quickly while Sokka and Katara looked out from the tent flap, all of them looking at the young Earthbender curiously.

"It feels like an avalanche." Toph stated as she kneeled on the ground and pressed her hand to the ground as her new friends walked over to her, "But also _not_ an avalanche."

"That doesn't make any sense." Xiaodan commented in confusion as she scratched her head idly.

"You're powers of perceptions are frightening." Sokka quipped sarcastically then yelped when Xiaodan punched him in the arm.

"Should we leave?" Katara asked, looking at Aang curiously and ignoring her brother and Xiaodan.

"Better safe than sorry." Aang replied with a shrug and the five quickly packed up camp then jumped on Appa.

Appa jumped into the air and flew above the forest, revealing cloud of smoke billowing towards them in a clearing in the distance.

"What is that thing?" Katara asked aloud as she and her friends looked at the smoke curiously.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good." Xiaodan muttered in reply, her molten orange eyes narrowing slightly as she stared at the cloud of smoke.

* * *

Appa grumbled tiredly as he flew across the sky, the moon partly obscured by clouds. Aang yawned sleepily as he held Appa's reins, dark circles beginning to form under his eyes. Sitting in the saddle behind him, Xiaodan leaned her head against Sokka's shoulder, who was leaning his own head against his hand. Both of them looked ready to fall asleep at any moment. Toph and Katara sat idly on opposite sides of the saddle, their eyes beginning to droop as Appa flew over a mountainous terrain decorated with a sparse trees. The sky bison grumbled again as he landed a on smooth, rocky surface amount the trees in the mountainous area.

"Ah, land, sweet land!" Toph sighed in relief as she leapt off Appa and laid on the ground, then she jumped up and addressed the other four cheerfully, "See you guys in the morning!"

"Actually, can you help us unload?" Katara asked after hopping from Appa's saddle while Xiaodan, Aang, and Sokka prepared to unload the supplies.

"Really?" Toph asked sarcastically as she turned to look at Katara, "You need_ me_ to help unload Sokka's funky-smelling sleeping bag?"

Aang tiredly handed Sokka his sleeping bag, which the Water Tribe boy then proceeds to smell. Sokka quickly turned away as his disgusted face turned red and fell backwards, passing out. Xiaodan and Aang peered over the saddle to stare at the unconscious boy with curious and amused expressions on their faces.

"Well, yeah." Katara said matter-of-factly as she approached Toph, "That and everything else. You're a part of a team now, and-"

"Look! I didn't ask you to help unload my stuff!" Toph snapped in irritation, cutting Katara off as she pointed her finger at the other girl then she spun on her heel and began walking off, "I'm carrying my own weight."

"That's not the point." Katara retorted angrily then she stomped after Toph, "Ever since you joined us, you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful!"

"What?" Toph demanded furiously as she spun around and pointed at Katara again, "Look here, sugar queen, I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang Earthbending."

Katara tensed her muscles in frustration as Toph spoke and lifted her hand in an attempt to speak but Toph continued to rant angrily.

"So don't you talk to me about being selfish!" Toph finished then she sat down on the ground and Earthbended a rock tent over her.

"Sugar queen!?" Katara snarled then recoiled when Toph Earthbended a door in front of the tent, "D-did you just slam the door in my face? How can you be so infuriating?"

Xiaodan, Aang, and Sokka all watched from several feet away as Katara began banging her fists against the door then she began kicking the walls of the tent.

"Should we do something?" Aang asked Sokka hesitantly.

"Hey, I'm just enjoying the show." Sokka replied in amusement, causing Xiaodan to snicker quietly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Aang sighed at the utterly unhelpfulness of the two older teens then he walked towards Katara, who was still banging on the rock tent.

"Okay, okay, you both need to calm down."

"Both?" Katara all but screeched as she rabidly turned to face Aang, her expression crazed and her eyes bloodshot, "I'm completely calm!"

"Uh…" Aang stuttered awkwardly as he began to shuffle back over to where Xiaodan and Sokka were muffling their laughter, "I can see that…"

"That went fantastically, little brother." Xiaodan commented lightly when Aang approached her and Sokka while Katara went back to beating on Toph's rock tent.

"Shut up, Xia."

The white-haired girl merely giggled in amusement and shook her head then she turned around to start setting up the camp again.

* * *

Xiaodan, Aang, and Sokka were sleeping peacefully on the ground a few hours later but Katara was wide-awake, her arms crossed over her stomach as she glared over at Toph's rock tent.

"The stars sure are beautiful tonight." Katara said suddenly in a mocking tone, "Too bad you can't see them, Toph!"

Toph retorted by Earthbending a fissure that channeled underground and hit Katara, sending her flying into the air with a squeal that woke up both Aang and Xiaodan. Sokka yelped when his sister suddenly landed on him.

Xiaodan yawned and rubbed her eyes, "That was a low blow, Katara…"

"Hey, how's a guy supposed to sleep with all this yelling and earthquaking?" Sokka demanded in annoyance as he pushed to the side.

Toph suddenly reopened her tent, "That thing is back!"

"Well, how far away is it?" Sokka mumbled as he laid back down and pulled the covers of his sleeping bag over his eyes, his voice becoming muffled, "Maybe we can close our eyes for a few minutes."

Xiaodan glanced up and blinked when she saw the smoke billowing over the treetops.

"I don't think so, Sokka." Aang stated when he noticed the smoke as well and the five quickly packed up again then jumped onto an exhausted Appa.

"Seriously, what is the thing?" Katara asked again as Appa flew over the mountainous terrain, whatever was chasing them still there.

"And how does it keep finding us?" Toph asked in annoyance, Katara, Xiaodan, and her peering over the back of the saddle at the thing.

"I don't know." Aang replied as he leaned against the front of the saddle where Sokka was sprawled out, fast asleep, "But this time, I'm going to make sure we lose it."

* * *

Appa groaned as he flew between two mountain ridges then landed on his side on a flat-surfaced rock bed, throwing everyone onto the ground along with their belongings.

"Okay, forget about setting up camp." Sokka muttered after he had landed on the ground and he began crawling on the ground in his sleeping bag, "I'm finding the softest pile of dirt and going to sleep."

"That's good because Toph wasn't going to help anyway!" Katara growled as she tucked her own sleeping bag under her head like a pillow.

"Oh, I didn't realize the baby still needed someone to tuck her in bed." Toph retorted mockingly as she sprawled out on her bag.

"C'mon guys, there's something after us and we don't even know what," Aang said then paused to pull the top part of his shirt over his head and his voice became muffled, "Or who it is."

"It could be Zuko." Katara suggested then rolled over onto her other side, "We haven't seen him since the North Pole."

"Who's Zuko?" Toph asked curiously, none of them aware of the way Xiaodan seemed to tense in her spot curled up on the ground next to Aang.

"Oh, just some angry freak with a ponytail whose tracked us all over the world." Sokka explained nonchalantly as he put his head down, "He even held Xia prisoner for awhile."

"Don't remind me." Xiaodan grumbled into her arms after she had flipped onto her stomach and folded her arms under her head, her thoughts briefly lingering on her time as Zuko's prisoner.

"What's wrong with ponytails, Ponytail?" Katara quipped mockingly at her brother.

"This is a warrior's wolf tail." Sokka snapped back at his sister as he pointed at his ponytail.

"Well, it certainly tells the other warriors that you're fun and perky." Katara joked and Xiaodan snorted a laugh, her shoulders beginning to shake with her laughter.

Sokka lifted his head and gave his sister an unamused look, "Anyway, whoever's chasing us couldn't have followed us here, so, now would everyone just _shh_?"

Momo suddenly hopped onto Sokka's sleeping back and began to chitter excitedly, his large ears twitching back-and-forth.

"No, Momo, shh." Sokka chided the lemur as he held a finger to his lips then relaxed, "Sleepy time."

Momo chittered again then hopped off Sokka and over to the ledge of the rock, chittering loudly as his ears perked up with alertness. Xiaodan sighed tiredly then crawled over to the lemur to see what was causing him to freak out the way he was.

"Monkey-feathers!" Xiaodan muttered in distress and Aang, Katara, and Toph got to their feet while Sokka buried his face in hands.

"Oh, don't tell me…" Sokka groaned in dismay.

"That's impossible." Aang said in disbelief as he and the three girls, plus Momo, stared at the thing that had been chasing them, "There's no way they could have tracked us."

"I can feel it with my own two feet!" Toph stated vehemently.

Aang quickly ran over to edge of the cliff where Momo and Xiaodan were crouched and he noticed the smoke rising from the far end of the rocky pathway.

"Let's get out of here." Katara suggested nervously as she, Sokka, and Toph walked over to the edge.

"Maybe we should face them." Aang said calmly, "Find out who they are. Who knows, maybe they're friendly."

"Always the optimist." Sokka muttered hopelessly as his shoulders slumped.

"Shh!" Xiaodan hissed as she crouched down and held the edge of the ridge with one hand, leaning forward as far as she could without falling so that she could get a good look at whatever was chasing them.

The white-haired girl watched as the billowing cloud of smoke came stop and Xiaodan narrowed her eyes slightly at the strange tank-like train that she could see. The last compartment of the tank-train opened up, releasing a burst of steam and from the steam three mongoose-lizards stepped out.

"Monkey-feathers!" Xiaodan gasped when she saw the three girls from Omashu sitting on the backs of the three mongoose lizards.

Katara and Aang stared down in shock while the leader of the group looked up at the five with a determined expression then the three girls began racing towards them.

"It's those three girls from Omashu!" Katara said in alarm.

"And they are definitely _not_ friendly!" Xiaodan quipped drily as she straightened and took a fighting stance alongside her four friends.

"We can take 'em." Toph said determined, "Four on three."

"Actually, Toph, there's five of us." Sokka corrected her with a quirked brow.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't count you." Toph replied sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders slightly, "You know, no bending and all."

Sokka turned towards the younger girl, his face distorted with rage, "I can still fight!"

"Okay, four on three plus Sokka." Toph said smugly and Xiaodan snickered while Sokka's eyebrow began twitching.

"Errrgh!" Sokka growled angrily, his face beginning to turn red.

Toph smirked and quickly Earthbended columns of rock in front of the approaching Fire Nation girls, but the mongoose-lizards merely crawled right over them and continued up the path towards the five friends.

"Well, we wanted to find out who they were and we found out." Sokka stated as he put his boomerang way then turned to run after Aang, Katara, and Xiaodan, "Now let's get out of here."

Toph quickly Earthbended a large rock wall in front of the three Fire Nation girls then turned, but the girl in the middle began making circular motions with her arms then she fired a bolt of lightning at the rock wall, leaving a huge gap in the middle which the mongoose-lizards had no trouble clambering through.

Toph's jaw dropped in shock and Xiaodan glanced over her shoulder at the younger girl just in time to see the girl with the hair buns launch a flurry of stilettos at Toph.

"Toph!" Xiaodan shouted worriedly then sighed in relief when the young Earthbender used an earth pillar to launch herself into the air.

Toph landed in Appa's saddle and Xiaodan grabbed the back of her tunic when she stumbled slightly and nearly fell out of the saddle.

"Appa, yip-yip!" Aang exclaimed urgently and Appa leapt in the air just in time to avoid a stream of blue fire.

* * *

Azula lowered her arm and her eyes narrowed as she watched the sky bison fly away, her lips pursing in irritation.

* * *

"I can't believe those girls followed us all the way from Omashu." Katara stated in complete shock as Appa flew tiredly through night sky.

"I still think we could have taken them." Toph grumbled angrily, her brows furrowed with vexation and exhaustion.

"Are you kidding me?" Katara demanded in exasperation as she gestured around with her hand, "The crazy blue Firebending and the flying daggers are bad enough, but the last time we saw them, one of those girls did something that took my bending away. That's scary."

"Besides," Xiaodan groaned tiredly from her curled up position in the middle of the saddle, "We're all exhausted and they, most likely, we not. Yes, we outnumbered them, but it would have been very unlikely we'd have gotten away without a scratch…"

Toph grumbled irately under her breath but didn't both to respond to either of the older girls' comments. The five sat in comparative silence as Appa soared over a prairie, flying towards the mountains in the distance while the sun began peeking over the horizon.

"Oh no, the sun is rising." Sokka whined from the front of the saddle as he held his arm out towards the rising sun "We've been up all night."

"You're powers of perception are frightening, Sokka." Xiaodan mocked, using the Water Tribe boy's words against him, exhaustion making her grumpy but Sokka ignored her since he was too busy freaking out.

"Sokka, we'll be okay." Aang assured the older boy from his slouched position on Appa's neck, the reins held loosely in his hands.

"Are you sure? I've never not slept before! What if I fall asleep now and something happens?" Sokka all but wailed as he held his hands up to his head in distress, his eyes almost bulging out as he continued to freak out, "And something always happens!"

Katara sighed, "Every time we land, those girls are these. So we'll just have to keep flying."

"We can't fly forever." Xiaodan muttered into her arms as the sun continued to rise and Appa continued to fly.

* * *

Zuko stared down at the fast moving ground, his gold eyes riveted to the tracks slashing through the grassy field as his stolen ostrich-horse ran after the Fire Nation tank-train. The banished prince's eyes narrowed and he raised his head to stare at the billowing cloud of smoke several miles ahead of him. His expression became determined and he urged his ostrich-horse to go faster.

* * *

Aang yawned widely and slouched further against Appa's neck then he addressed his four friends.

"So what's our plan?"

"Don't know…" Toph mumbled tiredly, blind eyes closed slightly as she slumped against the side of the saddle, "Too tired to think."

Xiaodan groaned sleepily in agreement to the Earthbender's words, too exhausted to even think of speaking, let alone actually use her voice.

"I'm sure we'll come up with something after a short nap." Katara said sleepily without opening her eyes as she shifted to a more comfortable position leaning against the supplies secured at the back of Appa's saddle and crossed her arms over her chest, her lips twitching into a small smile at the idea of resting.

"Yes…" Sokka sighed in relief, his head buried in his arms which where resting against the bundle of supplies as he sat next to his dozing sister, "Sleep…"

Sokka and Katara were just beginning to nod off when they began to slowly rise into the air, the wind blowing through their clothing as Appa began losing altitude, the siblings unaware of what was happening. Xiaodan's eyes snapped open when she felt her body leave the saddle and she gave an undignified yelp when she saw Toph handing onto the saddle with Momo clinging to her ankle while Katara and Sokka floated above the saddle. The white-haired girl quickly twisted her body around and grabbed the edge of the saddle while Sokka held onto the supplies and Katara held onto him.

"What's going on?!" Toph shouted frantically as she clung to saddle, her blind eyes wide with fright and confusion.

"Appa fell asleep!" Aang n yelled in reply, clinging to the reins tightly as Appa fell to through a cloud towards the ground, his eyes closed and his legs sprawled out.

The five teens began screaming loudly as they continued to free fall towards the fast approaching ground. Aang quickly used the reins to pull himself back onto Appa's head then he crawled over the bison's head, clinging upside down to Appa's face.

"Wake up, buddy!" Aang shouted urgently at the bison, his voice cracking slightly with panic as the ground continued to get closer.

Appa groaned and his eyes began to crack open slowly before they widened in realization as he continued to fall towards the ground. With a loud growl, the bison stopped his free fall, causing Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Xiaodan to grunt as their bodies slammed back into the saddle, all of them still gripping the saddle tightly. Appa resumed his normal flight and soared just above the treetops for a moment then began to tilt downward into the trees. The bison groaned as he flew between two trees, colliding with and snapping several branches while the five teens braced themselves against the impact, their eyes squeezed shut. Appa hit the ground a moment later and skidded across the grass, leaving a semi-deep trench in the ground before he came to a stop several feet away from a river, already fast asleep once again.

Aang slid off the bison's head and onto the ground, stumbling a few steps forward with his shoulders slumped. Xiaodan groaned quietly and jumped to the ground, falling to her knees as soon as her feet touched the dirt. Sokka, Katara, and Toph followed her a moment later, each of them carrying their belongings.

"Appa's exhausted." Aang stated tiredly as the bison's snoring caused his shawl and shirt to flutter slightly.

"Okay, we've put a lot of distance between us and them." Sokka said tiredly as he trudged across the grass with his sleeping bag clutched to his chest, Katara trailing after him, "The plan right now is to follow Appa's lead and get some sleep."

"Here-here." Xiaodan mumbled as she flopped forward onto her belly and cushioned her head on her arms, prepared to sleep for a million years.

"Of course, we could've gotten some sleep earlier, if Toph didn't have such issues." Katara snarked in irritation as paused to glare at Toph, who was sprawled out on the ground a foot or so away from Xiaodan.

"What?!" Toph shrieked furiously as she lifted herself up slightly and slammed her hands into the ground, causing it to crack around her fingers.

Xiaodan gritted her teeth in annoyance and nearly began to bang her head against the ground, sick and tired of the insistent way Katara and Toph had been bickering since the night before.

"Alright, alright, everyone's exhausted!" Aang exclaimed as he walked forward and tried to diffuse the tension, "Let's just get some rest."

"No, I want to hear what Katara has to say." Toph snapped as she got to her feet and faced Katara, her young face twisted into a furious scowl, "You think I have issues?"

"I'm just saying, maybe if you had helped out earlier, we could have set up our camp faster and gotten some sleep." Katara said in irritation as her voice rose to a shout, "And then maybe we wouldn't be in this situation!"

Xiaodan sighed and pushed herself to her feet, blinking rapidly to clear her bleary vision as she walked over to stand beside Aang next to Appa, while Katara and Toph stood several feet apart, facing each other. Sokka merely continued to lie sleepily on his sleeping bag several yards away from the other four.

"You're blaming me for this?" Toph demanded in outrage as she stomped threateningly towards Katara, who threw her sleeping bag to the side and gestured challengingly for Toph to come closer.

"No!" Aang denied hurriedly as he jumped between the two girls and held up his hands pacifyingly, "No, she's not blaming you."

"No, I'm blaming her!" Katara snapped angrily from behind Aang as she glared at Toph over his shoulder, while Xiaodan continued to watch with her arms crossed and an unamused expression on her tanned and tattooed face.

"Hey, I never asked for your diddly-doo-dah." Toph growled at Aang as she shoved him to the side then pointed at herself with her thumb, "I carry my own weight. Besides, if there's anyone to blame, it's Sheddy over here!"

"What?" Aang asked in shock and annoyance as he sat on the sleeping bison's tail, "You're blaming Appa?"

"Yeah, you want to know how they keep finding us?" Toph asked with a sneer then she grabbed a handful of Appa's fur and let the sheddings blow away with the wind, "He's leaving a trail everywhere we go!"

Xiaodan's eyes flicked between the three younger members of the group restless, a scowl appearing on her face as she pinched the bridge of her nose, a headache beginning to throb behind her eyes. Her nerves were already spread too thin from lack of sleep and her temper was rapidly deteriorating and she was going to explode if Aang, Katara, and Toph continued to fight.

"How dare you blame Appa!" Aang shouted in outrage as he jumped off Appa's tail to face Toph, "He saved your life three times today! If there's anyone to blame, it's you! You're always talking about how you carry your own weight, but you're not! He is! Appa's carrying your weight. He never had a problem flying when it just-"

"_**ENOUGH!**_"

Aang, Toph, and Katara jumped and spun around to face Xiaodan, their eyes becoming almost comically wide as they stared at the seething older Airbender. Even Sokka had turned his head to stare at Xiaodan in surprise, her furious scream waking him up.

"You three are acting like five year olds with your incessant bickering!" Xiaodan yelled angrily as she stomped forward until she was standing in front of the all of them then she jabbed her finger towards Katara, "I get that you think Toph isn't pulling her own weight and acting as part of our team, but you don't have to constantly nag and whine about it! She was secluded nearly her whole life, it's absolutely _**stupid**_ to expect her to understand the concept of _teamwork_! So stop being so bossy!"

Katara flinched slightly and looked to the side, knowing that the older girl's words, though harsh, rang true.

"And you!" Xiaodan snapped whirling around to face her brother, "You know good and well that Appa has been flying just as well as he was before Toph arrived! The only reason he had trouble flying today is because of how _**exhausted**_ he is! It was rude and childish of you to blame Toph for something that isn't true!"

Aang hung his head sadly, already feeling guilty for what he had said. Xiaodan turned to face Toph and the two girls glared silently at each for a moment then the white-haired girl began to speak, her anger still obvious even as it began to fade.

"Toph, I get that your family kept you locked away from the world, but that is still no excuse for your completely dismissive and rude attitude towards us. We _are_ your friends and friends held each other, even when it's just a simple thing like helping set up camp." Xiaodan said, no longer shouting as she stared down at Toph, "You're part of a team now and that means you don't just carry your own weight and take care of yourself. This team takes care of each and we each make a contribution and effort to make our lives easier, that's just way it is. The sooner you get that, the sooner Katara will stop nagging you about helping."

Xiaodan fell silent and waited for the younger girl to speak. After a moment she did and what she said came as a surprise to everyone, except the white-haired Airbender.

"I'm outta here." Toph growled as she walked towards her bag then she stomped on the ground and launched her bag into her arms.

The blind Earthbender slipped the strap over her shoulder then began walking away with a blank expression on her face.

"Wait!" Sokka exclaimed hurriedly as he moved in front of Toph with his arms outstretched in an attempt to stop her.

Without batting an eye, Toph kicked her foot to the left and Earthbended Sokka out of her way, leaving him standing there in surprise. Xiaodan, Aang, Katara, and Sokka watched her leave with different expressions on their faces.

* * *

The Fire Nation tank train sped across the terrain easily, the trail of white fur drifting in the wind leading Azula and her friends right to the Avatar.

* * *

"What did I just do?!" Aang wailed despondently at the sky then he slumped, "I can't believe I yelled at my Earthbending teacher. Now she's gone."

"I know. We're all just trying to get used to each other." Katara said regretfully as she fidgeted with her hands, "And I was so mean to her."

"Yeah," Sokka commented drily as he sat with Xiaodan a few feet away from Aang and Katara, drinking some water, "You two were pretty much jerks. Good thing Xia told you three off."

Xiaodan snorted and sipped her water, having calmed down completely in the few minutes Toph had been gone.

"Thanks, Sokka." Katara muttered sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"No problem."

Katara ignored him and spoke to Aang, "We need to find Toph and apologize."

"Smart move." Xiaodan quipped as she got to her feet and walked over to the other two benders, "But there's just one problem."

"What?" Aang asked curiously as she looked up at his sister from his spot sitting on the ground, "What could possibly be more important than finding my Earthbending teacher and apologizing?"

"Figuring out what we're gonna go about the tank full of dangerous ladies chasing us seems pretty important to me." Sokka stated as he glanced over his shoulder at the other three then returned to his cup.

Aang frowned and got to his feet, grabbing a fistful of Appa's fur then watching it blow away in the wind.

"I have a plan."

* * *

Xiaodan laughed as she stood on Appa's back as the sky bison lounged in the river, a brush in hand which she was using to scrub Appa's back with, his shedding fur forming clumps in the river below. On either side of Xiaodan, Aang and Katara Waterbended two streams of water over both her and Appa, showering him on either side. The white-haired girl laughed again as one of the streams of water was bent her way, completely soaking her but she didn't stop scrubbing. Momo chittered from his spot on Appa's head, where he was using his own brush to scrub the excess fur from the bison but the lemur was forced to hastily take flight with a screech when a stream of water was bended his way. The stream of water passed over Appa's head and completely drenched Sokka, who was standing near the bison with his own brush in hand. The Water Tribe boy groaned and Xiaodan laughed loudly, her white hair plastered to her skull, shoulders and all the way down her back to her hips.

* * *

"Toph was right." Aang said after the four had finished giving Appa bath, the bison's fur still soaking wet while Xiaodan Airbended herself dry and Sokka wrung out his shirt near the riverbank, "The fur was leaving a trail right to us. But now that he's clean, no more trail."

"Are you sure he's okay to fly?" Katara asked anxiously and Aang nodded.

"He'll be fine as long as we leave his saddle and all our stuff here." Aang replied confidently then he kneeled down and began stuffing pieces of Appa's fur into his satchel, "I'm going to use Appa's fur to make a fake trail to lead the tank off-course."

Xiaodan quickly snatched up hers and Aang's glider from the pile of their things they had cleverly hidden around the trees.

"While you do that, I'm going to find Toph." She stated then passed Aang his glider, pressing a brief, sisterly kiss to the top of his head, "Be careful, little brother, the crazy girl with the blue fire is dangerous."

"Don't worry, Xia," Aang replied with a reassuring smile, "I'll be fine."

The white-haired girl nodded once then waved quickly to Sokka and Katara, who were sitting on Appa's back then she took a running start and snapped her glider open, heading in the direction Toph had gone in earlier.

Aang watched his sister disappear over the treetops then he turned towards Appa. The sky bison groaned and took flight with Katara, Sokka, and Momo on his back, his body accidently brushing against the treetops and snapping the topmost limbs off, causing them to fall to the ground as he flew away. Aang waited until they had disappeared too then he took a running start like Xiaodan had then he snapped his glider open as he jumped into the air, flying away from the river, releasing patches of fur along to way to create the misleading trail.

* * *

Xiaodan tilted her head down and narrowed her eyes to see better as she stared down at the ground below in search of Toph. The white-haired girl used Airbending to put on a burst of speed, keen eyes shifting along the terrain below eagerly in search of her young friend.

* * *

Toph sighed quietly as she walked slowly along a small path that cut through the trees, her head bowed slightly as she let her thoughts drift aimlessly. She stopped when she suddenly sensed something then she shifted her left foot in the opposite direction and she jerked her head in that direction. Without batting an eyelash, Toph Earthbended a stream of dirt and rock towards the unknown source she had sensed.

The stream of earth shot across the ground towards a large rock and a dust cloud erupted into the air from the impact, a grunt of pain filling the air. Toph tilted her head slightly and jumped onto the rock, assuming a fighting stance.

"Ow…" Toph heard the old man she had hit with her Earthbending groan as he rubbed his backside, "That really hurt my tailbone."

* * *

Azula crouched on the riverbank and her eyes narrowed slightly as she reached out and grabbed two patches of wet fur from the water. The Fire Nation princess examined the patches of wet fur in her hand interestedly.

"Wads of wet fur." Mai drawled dryly as she stood slightly behind and to the side of the princess, "How delightful."

"Hmm…They're not wads, more like bundles, or bunches?" Ty Lee mused thoughtfully as she stood on Azula's other side then she scratched her head, "It's got an 'uh' sound."

"Clumps?" Mai suggested in an unamused tone.

"Clumps!" The exuberant girl exclaimed happily as she clasped her hands together, "They're clumps!"

Mai tensed slightly and barely refrained from rolling her eyes when Ty Lee suddenly hugged her while Azula walked past them. The emotionless girl looked over Ty Lee's shoulder and caught sight of a trail of fur leading in one direction.

"The trail goes that way." Mai stated to Azula as she pointed at the trail of fur.

Azula glanced over her shoulder at Mai from where she was kneeling and examining the fur then she stood and looked in the direction the fur trail was headed. The Fire Nation princess pursed her lips then turned around, the broken treetops catching her attention.

"The Avatar's trying to give us the slip." Azula stated coolly then she gestured towards the snapped tree limbs, "You two head in that direction and keep your eye out for the bison. I'll follow this trail."

Azula narrowed her eyes on the fur trail while Mai and Ty Lee rode in the other direction on their mongoose-lizards. As the two other girls disappeared into the trees, Azula mounted her own mongoose-lizard and spurred it onward, heading in the direction the trail of fur led.

* * *

Xiaodan resisted the urge to fly faster as her eyes continued to scan the ground below her, straining for any sign of Toph. The white-haired girl nearly slammed into the top of tree when she finally caught sight of who she was looking for and Xiaodan quickly descended to the ground, snapping her glider shut and running over to Toph, not even noticing that the young girl wasn't alone.

"Toph!" Xiaodan exclaimed excitedly and with relief as she practically slammed into the girl and embraced her tightly, her staff falling careless to the ground at her feet, "I was so worried I wouldn't be able to find you!"

"Xia?" Toph muttered confusedly into the older—and taller—girl's shoulder, "What are you doing here?"

Xiaodan pulled away abruptly and held Toph at arms' length by the shoulders, "I came to find you, silly!"

Toph opened her mouth to respond but before she could her companion suddenly spoke up, his tone of voice completely shocked.

"Xiaodan?"

The white-haired girl released Toph and turned towards her companion, her jaw dropping in stunned amazement when she saw a very familiar—and welcome—face.

"Iroh?"

* * *

Aang flew over another forested area, a river separating the new forest from a rocky area with a cluster of trees growing from a ledge that overlooked the rest of the landscape. He briefly noticed the mountains in the distance but paid them no attention as he continued flying, the fur falling from his satchel at the steady pace. After a few more minutes of flying, Aang exited the lush, green forest area and soared over a more arid and rugged desert area.

Tiredly, Aang peered down at his satchel to make sure it was still releasing the fur then he looked up again, his tired eyes catching sight of a decrepit-looking town that had clearly been abandoned a while ago. The exhausted young Airbender landed at what used to be the main street of the abandoned town, twirled his glider closed then he began walking down the street, casually dropping fur as he went. An old store's shutters creaked and a bell began tolling ominously in the wind, causing Aang to glance around sleepily as he took in the broken-down state of the town.

Finally, he stopped at the end of the street, several yards in front of a destroyed building and turned his satchel upside down, emptying the remaining fur onto the ground. Aang twirled his glider open and turned to face the direction he had just come from, preparing to leave the decrepit town but he hesitated. After a moment, he twirled his glider shut again and sat down on the ground cross-legged beside his empty satchel, waiting for the three girls from Omashu to appear.

* * *

"Toph couldn't have made it too far." Sokka commented as he surveyed the woods from Appa's back while the sky bison soared lazily through the air.

Momo suddenly began to chitter loudly as he reared up defensively and Sokka turned to look at the lemur curiously.

"What is it, Momo?" Sokka asked then turned to look in the same direction as Momo, his eyes widening, "Oooooh, no! Katara!"

Katara turned and gaped along with her brother when she saw two of the three girls following Appa on mongoose-lizards.

"How did they find us?" Katara questioned in shock as she snapped the reins and urged Appa to go faster.

Appa groaned tiredly as he tried to fly faster but he was too exhausted and he began to fly dangerously close to the tree line, progressively growing more and more tired.

"Appa, come on, we need to go faster!" Sokka said urgently as he sat on the sky bison's shoulders with Momo.

"He's too tired!" Katara exclaimed, panic beginning to bubble up in her chest as Appa drifted even lower.

"Not good, not good!" Sokka squawked glancing behind him and blanching when he saw the two girls still chasing them then he turned back around quickly, pointing towards the river he had just spotted, "We need to make it across that river!"

"Come on, Appa, just a little further…" Katara pleaded as the panic began to truly set in.

Appa groaned again as he continued his unwilling descent, snapping off several treetops in the process. He crashed into another treetop roughly and faltered slightly, but quickly gained his equilibrium and straightened his flight path.

Ty Lee and Mai continued to chase them from below and Mai swung her arm, firing a flurry of stilettoes at the bison. Sokka yelped and ducked down, pressing himself against Appa's back as he narrowly avoided the stilettoes.

Appa growled lowly as he skimmed the surface of the river twice with his feet before crashing into ground on the opposite riverbank.

"We made it! We're safe!" Sokka cheered happily as he hopped off Appa's head and onto the ground

"You did it Appa!" Katara praised the exhausted sky bison as she followed her brother and the two embraced with ecstatic expressions on their faces.

Katara opened her eyes and gasped loudly, Sokka pulling away and turning just in time to see the two mongoose-lizards dart towards the river, paddling the water rapidly which allowed them to run across the surface of the river with easy.

Katara quickly stepped forward and twisted around, bending a wave of water at Ty Lee's mongoose-lizard, but the girl managed to jump of the beast just in time. Ty Lee used the momentum from her leap to land on a tree trunk which she pushed off of a moment later, gracefully somersaulting through the air towards another tree trunk. Katara opened her water skin just as Ty Lee pushed off the second tree trunk.

The Waterbender lashed out with her water-whip as soon as Ty Lee landed, but the other girl dodged easily, retaliating by lashing out with her fists. Katara grunted as she jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding Ty Lee's hits and she quickly fired several water discs at the other girl, but Ty Lee merely cartwheeled repeatedly to dodge the attacks.

Mai's mongoose-lizard landed on the other side of the riverbank and the blank-faced girl wasted no time in firing several small blades from the holsters in her sleeves. The small blades flew towards Katara, who was still fending off Ty Lee's attacks, her back to Mai. Sokka leapt in front of his sister and knocked the stilettos off course with his boomerang and machete, then he launched his boomerang at Mai.

Mai dodged the boomerang by leaping off her lizard then she spun around and fired more small blades at Sokka from the holster in her leg. Sokka scowled determinedly as he knocked the sharp projectiles away with his machete. Mai suddenly charged towards Katara, forcing the dark-haired Waterbender to run past her brother in an attempt to get away.

Ty Lee smirked slightly and ran forward, somersaulting then leaping into the air where she easily front-flipped and landed behind Sokka. The acrobatic girl lashed out quickly, landing several rapid blows to Sokka's right arm, causing him to drop his boomerang when she blocked his chi. Quick to retaliate, Sokka swung his left arm towards Ty Lee, but she merely incapacitated that arm as well and his machete dropped to the ground.

Sokka looked around himself nervously then kicked his leg out at the girl in order to fend her off, but again, Ty Lee rendered his leg useless by blocking his chi with quickly, firm blows to specific pressure points. Sokka swayed on his one good leg then brought his head forward in defense, causing Ty Lee to lash out and strike his skull, injuring her hand in the process. Ty Lee quickly backed away from Sokka and shook her hand in pain then she glared at him angrily.

"Good try, but no." Sokka quipped as he tried to keep his balance with one leg and useless arms.

Several feet away, Katara ran towards the riverbank as Mai continued to chase her. The Waterbender stopped in front of a tree and quickly began to bend water from the river so she could attack Mai with it, but the knife-thrower suddenly hurled two shuriken knives at her. Katara gasped in horror as the star-shaped knives pinned the bands wrapped around her wrists to the tree and she tried to pull herself loose to no avail. The water Katara had been trying to bend fell back into the river again with a small splash.

Sokka suddenly hobbled past Mai then fell to the ground between his sister and the knife-thrower, his cheek pressed to the ground as he looked up at Mai and Ty Lee, who had moved calmly to stand by her friend.

"How're you doing?" Sokka asked his sister with a nervous laugh.

"Well, you know…" Katara replied frantically as she glanced from Mai to Ty Lee nervously.

"I thought when Ty Lee and I finally caught you guys it would be more exciting." Mai stated drily as she crossed her arms and looked at the two siblings boredly, "Oh well, victory is boring."

Ty Lee and Mai screamed when they were suddenly swept of their feet by a powerful gust of air that had been conjured up when Appa had slammed his tail on the ground. The two Fire Nation girls flew through the air and landed head first into the river several yards away from Katara, Sokka, Appa, and Momo.

"Thanks Appa," Sokka praised the sky bison gratefully from his position on the ground, "I don't know what we'd do without you."

Appa plodded over to the paralyzed boy and swept his large tongue over Sokka's face, covering him in drool. Sokka's eyebrow began twitching in irritation as bison drool slid down his face.

* * *

Mai and Ty Lee pulled themselves onto the riverbank, completely drenched and the two collapsed on the ground.

"Was it just me, or was that guy kinda cute?" Ty Lee asked with a giggle as she wrung out her braid.

Mai gave her annoyed look and didn't respond.

* * *

Aang sat calmly in at the end of the main street of the abandoned village, his tired but calm gaze never waving from the horizon. He didn't even blink when the crazy blue-fire girl appeared at the opposite end of the street on her mongoose-lizard. The girl dismounted and walked forward, stopping when she was a few yards away from Aang.

"Alright, you've caught up with me." Aang barked after the girl had stopped walking towards him, "Now, who are you and what do you want?"

"You mean you haven't guessed? You don't see the family resemblance? Here's a hint." The girl said coolly then smirked as she covered her left eye and deepened her voice, "I must find the Avatar to restore my honor!"

Aang stared at her impassively then blinked slowly.

"It's okay, you can laugh." The girl said in her normal voice, her tone maliciously amused as she dropped her hand from her face, "It's funny."

"So what now?" Aang demanded instead, still refusing to stand up.

"Now? Now, it's over" The girl said coldly, "You're tired and you have no place to go. You can run, but I'll catch you."

Aang stood slowly and held his staff tightly, "I'm not running."

The girl smirked cruelly, the sun beginning to set behind her.

* * *

Iroh in front of a small fire with tea kettle heating over it on a rocky outcrop that overlooked a paddy field, Xiaodan sitting to his left while Toph crouched a foot or so away from them. Xiaodan watched as Iroh took the kettle from the fire and poured the tea into three tin cups.

"Here is your tea." The wise older man said calmly as he first handed a cup to Xiaodan then he held out the second cup to Toph, who merely continued to stare blankly at the ground in front of her.

"You seem a little young too be traveling alone…" Iroh commented idly, making this assumption based on the fact that the young, blind girl had been alone when she found him.

"You seem a little too old." Toph retorted without missing a beat as she took the tin cup from him.

Xiaodan snickered but quickly covered it up by taking a sip of her tea when Iroh turned to look at her.

"Perhaps I am." Iroh agreed with a laugh as he turned back to look at Toph, his amber eyes shining with amusement.

"I know what you're thinking…" Toph said casually as she held her teacup, "I look like I can't handle being by myself."

"I wasn't thinking that." Iroh replied just as easily, casting a questioning look in Xiaodan's direction but the white-haired girl shrugged, just as confused as he was by Toph's words.

"You wouldn't even let me pour my own cup of tea!"

Iroh quirked a brow at the young girl's outburst, but he spoke in an unfazed tone, "I poured you tea because I wanted to and for no other reason."

"People see me and think I'm weak." Toph explained bitterly and Xiaodan's expression became empathetic, "They want to take care of me, but I can take care of myself, by myself."

"You sound like my nephew," Iroh observed in an amused but sad down and Xiaodan nearly choked on her mouthful of tea, "Always thinking you need to do things on your own, without anyone's support. There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you. Not that I love you, I just met you."

Xiaodan snorted amusedly into her tin teacup and Toph laughed lightly.

"So where is your nephew?" The blind Earthbender asked after her laughter had died down and her tone became curious.

"I've been tracking him actually." Iroh responded easily and Xiaodan tilted her head curiously.

"Is he lost?" Toph asked then took a sip of her tea.

"Yes, a little bit." Iroh replied a little sadly as he looked away, "His life has recently changed and he's going through very difficult times. He's trying to figure out who he is and he went away."

"Iroh…" Xiaodan murmured gently then she reached out and placed a comforting hand on the older man's knee.

Iroh gave the white-haired girl a small, sad smile and patted her hand gently with his before Toph grabbed his attention again.

"So now you're following him." Toph stated matter-of-factly.

"I know he doesn't want me around him right now," Iroh explained lightly, "But if he needs me, I'll be there. Much like, I think, you're friends."

"You're nephew is very lucky, even if he doesn't know it." Toph stated then rose to her feet, "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Iroh replied sincerely, smiling a little sadly when Xiaodan got to her feet as well, "Sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life's true delights, along with meeting up with old friends."

"No, thank you for what you said." Toph clarified happily, "It helped me."

"I'm glad."

Toph turned to leave then turned back around again, "Oh, and about your nephew, maybe you should tell him that you need him too."

Xiaodan smiled fondly at the younger girl as she began to walk away then she turned towards Iroh, who was sipping his tea silently.

"It was good to see you again, Iroh." The white-haired girl said sincerely then she leaned forward and embraced him, "A wise person who gives advice should always heed the advice of others."

Iroh chuckled lightly and nodded his head slightly, watching with only slight sadness as Xiaodan ran to catch up with Toph, who had gotten a bit ahead of her.

* * *

"Toph," Xiaodan said gently as she walked alongside the younger girl and Toph turned her head slightly in her direction to show that she was listening, "I just want to let you know that you _are_ a part of our family. We may not have known each other long, but I do care about you. You're like the little sister I've always wanted."

"Thank you, Xia." Toph stated, looking up at the girl with a genuine smile on her face, "You're kinda like the older sister I always wanted too."

The white-haired girl grinned happily and placed her hands behind her head, trusting Toph to lead them both to the others.

* * *

"Do you really want to fight me?" Azula asked amusedly, a smug smile on her face as she stared at Aang standing across from her.

Suddenly someone appeared from an alley and leapt of the ostrich-horse they had be riding, creating a cloud of dust around their feet.

"Yes, I really do." Zuko growled as he threw his straw hat off to the side and glared at his sister.

"Zuko!" Aang gasped in alarm as he stared at the scarred teen.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, Zuzu." The girl commented calmly as she crossed her arms over her chest, her lips quirked in amusement.

"_Zuzu_?" Aang muttered, covering his mouth to suppress his laughter at the nickname.

"Back off, Azula!" Zuko barked determinedly as he shifted into a bending stance that would allow him to attack both his sister and Aang, "He's mine!"

Azula's amused expression disappeared and her eyes narrowed as she assumed her own fighting stance.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Azula smirked darkly at her brother while Zuko shifted his gaze from his sister to the Aang, who hurriedly took a fighting stance and pointed his glider at Zuko with a frightened expression on his face. Zuko shifted his fingers slightly, looking between Azula and Aang warily. Aang swallowed nervously, glancing from Azula to Zuko then back again. Azula smirked vaguely and Zuko's eyes narrowed slightly at her then he looked back at Aang. Azula's smirk broadened and Zuko's eyes flashed back to her, his unscarred eye widening when he saw his sister move her arm forward. Azula fired a blast of blue fire at him and Zuko just barely managed to bend a shield of fire in front of him to deflect the blast, which knocked him off his feet and onto a front porch.

Aang's eyes went wide with horror and he spun around, attempt to flee the abandoned town on his glider, quickly flying towards the back end of the town. Azula's eyes narrowed and lifted one arm straight into the air then took a single step forward and brought the same arm down, sending a powerful stream of blue fire at Aang, who shouted in surprise as he turned around and snapped his glider closed, twirling it to deflect the flames. Aang grunted when he hit the ground, still twirling his glider to finish dispersing the now orange flames that had been above him.

Aang stopped twirling his glider and gasped in fear when he saw Azula running along the beam of rooftop, preparing to strike him again. The young Airbender quickly rolled onto his stomach and snatched his glider from the ground just as Azula landed nimbly on the ground in crouch where she swept her leg out, sending a stream of fire at Aang again. Aang jumped out of the way and twisted up and around Azula, his staff held defensively in his hands.

Azula straightened and turned around, her eyes narrowing slightly when she saw her brother standing several feet in front of her. Aang landed between the two, just managing to side-step the fireball Zuko had launched at him then he twisted and dodged the next two fire blasts Azula fired at him, using Airbending to twirl past her.

Azula scowled and turned around, throwing another fireball at Aang, who ducked then countered her attack by launching a blade of air at her. Azula deflected the air blade with her hands then sent another fireball at Aang, who ducked out of the way again as he ran towards her. Then Azula had to duck herself when her brother fired his own fire blast her.

Aang jumped, twisted, ducked, and dodged the blue and red fireballs being launched at him while Azula and Zuko dodged each other's blasts at the same time. Zuko growled as he leapt over Azula, fire shooting up from his feet as he landed in a crouch but Azula threw up her own fire shield to deflect his attack, the two different colored walls of fire pressing together. Azula twisted around and fired a blast at Zuko, who ducked then attempted to knock her off her feet by sending a blast at her. Azula avoid her brother's attack deftly then swung her arm around, sending a stream of fire at him, Zuko quickly leaping into the air to avoid the blue flames. Azula then spun around and fired a stream of blue flames at Aang.

Aang jumped backwards to avoid the Fire Nation princess's attack, landing on an upper outdoor level of a nearby building. Aang yelped and dove into the open doorway when he saw Azula running up the stairwell leading to the upper level he was on. Azula ran through the doorway after the Avatar, her confident expression turning to one of alarm as she gasped and began to pinwheel her arms to keep from falling into the debris littered lower floor of the building.

Aang smiled gleefully and waved at her from his perch atop an airball in the middle of the nonexistent second story floor. Azula leapt slightly and managed to catch herself on two perpendicular floor panels that were still attached to the wall then she jumped again, managing to prop herself against the wall and regain her balance.

Zuko suddenly came charging through the doorway with a yell, only to realize to late that there wasn't an upper level floor and he fell roughly onto the first level floor with a shout, sending up a cloud of dirt and dust when he landed.

Aang's eyes went wide as the airball he was sitting on began to shrink beneath and Azula smirked, nimbly jumping and twisting mid-air so that she was back in the doorway then she shot a blast of blue fire at Aang. Aang managed to leap out of the way of the flames just as the airball completely dissipated and he used Airbending to run along the thin floor panel still stuck to the wall over to where Azula was standing, then he knocked Azula onto the first floor. The Fire Nation princess landed lithely on the first floor near Zuko, who was still recovering from his unfortunate fall.

Aang jumped out of the door, narrowly avoiding another stream of blue fire that Azula had launched at him. He landed on the street just as the Azula burst through the wall of the building with a powerful blast, knocking Zuko through the wall first. Aang gaped as the banished prince landed on the dirt street on his back, clearly unconscious then Aang quickly turned to look at Azula, yelping when he saw her heading straight towards him. He ducked and jumped out of the way just in time to avoid another of Azula's blue fire blasts and Aang began alternately jumping between two buildings while Azula fire more blue blasts at each spot he had previously landed on.

Aang finally reached the roof top of the left building and he quickly scrambled to prop himself up. His eyes went wide when Azula sent blade of blue fire up at him, slicing the corner of the roof her was standing on right off. Aang yelped and jumped off the crumbling portion onto another spot on the roof, but Azula sent another blade of fire and sliced that part of the roof as well.

Aang scrambled to prop himself up but the ceiling caved in and he fell into the building with a terrified yell. He grunted slightly when he hit the floor inside the building, wooden planks from the ceiling fall on top of him and trapping him beneath them. Aang lifted his head and stared fearfully at Azula as she stood in the door of the room he was trapped in. Azula smirked at him and held her arms out slightly from her sides, sending two streams of fire along the sides of the walls with her fists, the blue fire spread around the perimeter of the room and turned an orange hue moments later.

Aang stared up at her in horror and attempted to free himself from the wooden planks keeping him trapped. Azula's smirk widened as she took a few more steps into the room then she held up one hand with two of her fingers pointed outward, preparing to generate lighting.

Katara suddenly appeared in the doorway and lashed out at Azula with her water-whip, wrapping it around her wrist and yanking her hand off course. Azula gasped in shock as her arm was yanked back at an awkward angle, but the dark-haired Waterbender ignored the princess in favor of bending the stream of water around then using it to slice the wooden planks pining Aang.

"Katara!" Aang gasped, completely thrilled at seeing his friend only to gasp when Azula turned swiftly and sent a blast of fire at Katara, who dodged the fire blast by racing out of the building and along the porch.

Azula scowled darkly as she chased after the other girl only to stop in her tracks when Sokka appeared from another doorway and swung his machete her way. Azula ducked and moved off the porch, backing away slowly when Aang, Katara, and Sokka began closing in on her from three different sides.

* * *

Zuko groaned quietly and his eyes fluttered slightly as he began to regain consciousness.

"Uncle…" He muttered in confusion as he stared up at his uncle's blurry form standing over him.

"Get up!" Iroh ordered then helped his still slightly dazed nephew to his feet.

The two look over to where Azula was surrounded by Aang, Katara, and Sokka. Aang ran straight towards the princess then jumped up and out of the way just as Azula fired a blast at him. Azula then spun around swiftly, using Firebending to block the water-whip Katara had sent at her. She then turned and fired a blast at Sokka, who ran out of the way just in time and Azula quickly swung her arm, sending a stream of fire at both Sokka and Katara. The two Water Tribe siblings dodged the blast just as Aang came up behind Azula then he jumped out of the way again when she turned around and nearly managed strike him with another blast.

Azula swung her arm and sent an arched fire blast at the three as they slowly began pushing her back towards an alley, cornering her. The princess stood poised for an attack, a confident smirk on her face that quickly disappeared when the ground beneath her shifted which caused her to stumble to the side before she tripped over her own feet and fell onto her side.

Toph and Xiaodan appeared from the alley behind Azula, the Earthbender having shifted the ground beneath Azula's feet while the white-haired girl had sent a small tornado at her legs, causing her to trip.

"Thought you guys could use a little help." Toph said with a smirk as she and Xiaodan both shifted into bending stances.

"Thanks." Katara said gratefully, a smile forming on her lips at the sight of Toph and Xiaodan.

Azula snarled and pushed herself to her feet then began backing away from the five friends, shooting fire blasts at them to keep them back. Suddenly she spotted another alley and she quickly ran down it, leaping over the crates at the end. Azula's escape was halted when Iroh suddenly appeared and used his rotund belly to knock her of her feet while she was too busy looking behind her. Zuko quickly ran up beside his uncle and they, along with Katara, Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Xiaodan began stalking towards Azula, cornering her against the ruins of a stone wall.

"Well, look at this. Enemies and traitors, all working together. I'm done." Azula stated coolly as her back hit the stone wall and she looked at the seven people surrounding her then she raised her arms, "I know when I'm beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor."

Iroh stared at his niece for a moment then glanced at the others, who all remained on high alert. His gaze landed briefly on Toph then Xiaodan before shifting towards Aang, Katara, and Sokka, all of them still in their fighting stances then back to Toph again.

Azula glanced at the blind girl then smirked and took a step forward, spinning around into a crouch then firing a fire blast at her distracted uncle. The blast hit and Iroh screamed in pain, falling to the ground.

"Iroh!" Xiaodan cried out in horrified shock at the same time Zuko yelled out in horror, both watching his uncle fall before they simulanteously turned to face Azula.

Zuko, Xiaodan, Toph, Aang, and Katara each bended their respective elements at Azula while Sokka threw his boomerang at her. The impact of the elements created a small explosion that send up a thick cloud of smoke everywhere, burning embers falling all around the flaming town. Xiaodan snarled angrily and thrusted her arms outward, clearing the smoke with a powerful gust of air while Aang, Katara, Toph, and Sokka stared in dumbfounded shock when the cleared smoke revealed that Azula had vanished.

Xiaodan spun around her hands flying to her mouth when she saw Zuko kneeling beside his uncle, his head bowed and his expression dismayed.

"Ugggh!" Zuko growled angrily as he threw his fists up then pressed them to his eyes.

Xiaodan swallowed thickly, walking closer to Iroh and Zuko along with her friends, her molten orange eyes never leaving Iroh's prone form.

"Get away from us!" Zuko barked furiously as he twisted around slightly to glare at the five.

Toph shifted her foot and her sightless eyes glittered with tears of relief when she felt the vibrations of Iroh's shallow breathing using her seismic sense. Xiaodan nearly collapsed with her own relief when she heard the foolish, tea-loving old man breath a quiet groan.

"Zuko, I can help!" Katara said urgently as she approached the banished prince, her hand outstretched.

Zuko swung his arm around, blasting an arc of fire over the five teens' heads as they ducked.

"Leave!"

The five turned and ran away, leaving Zuko kneeling over his uncle's unconscious body in the middle of the burning town.

* * *

Xiaodan hesitated just outside the town, turning around to stare at the Zuko's faint figure while Toph, Aang, Katara, and Sokka ran towards where the siblings had left Appa just outside the town.

"Xia, let's go!" Katara shouted urgently as she climbed into the saddle after her brother and Toph while Aang jumped onto Appa's head.

Xiaodan ran towards Appa, stopping once she reached his head then she reached up and touched Aang's leg, her orange eyes meeting his gray ones. The two stared at each other for silently for a few moments, Xiaodan's eyes conflicted and desperate while Aang's were full confusion before realization and understanding filled them.

"I can't leave him." She said quietly, "He needs my help. They both do."

Aang hesitated then grabbed the hand that was still resting on his leg and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I understand." He said, his voice just as quiet, "We'll find each other again."

"We always do." Xiaodan finished with a tearful laugh then she let go of his hand and jumped into the saddle, grabbing her bag from where it was tied down with the rest of the group's supplies.

"What are you doing?" Sokka demanded in confusion as he and Katara watched Xiaodan jump out of the saddle, her bag and staff in hand, "We have to_**go**_, Xia!"

"I can't, Sokka." The white-haired girl said with a small shake of her head, "Iroh needs my help. I owe him that much."

"You don't owe him anything!" Sokka protested in outrage, "Did you forget that he's related to the crazy guy that kidnapped you?!"

"He's not like the rest of the Fire Nation, Sokka! He helped me and didn't treat me like a prisoner! He is my friend!"

Sokka's jaw dropped and he stared at the white-haired girl in disbelief, but Aang suddenly spoke up before Sokka could articulate a response.

"Be careful, big sister."

"You too, little brother." Xia replied, a watery smile appearing on her face as she looked up at her brother then she turned her gaze to Toph, who had remained silent during the whole conversation, "And you be careful too, little sister. I love you both."

"We love you too!" Aang called out to Xiaodan as she began running back towards the abandoned town, "Appa, yip-yip!"

* * *

"Appa, yip-yip!"

Xiaodan bit her lip and kept running even when she heard Appa groan as he leapt into the air after Aang's words. She knew this was the right thing to do, she didn't know how she knew, but she did.

She slowed to a walk then came to a complete stop when she was only a few feet away from Zuko, who was still kneeling over his uncle. Xiaodan took a deep breath then walked around him and kneeled on Iroh's other side, setting her staff and bag down beside her.

"I told you to leave."

The low snarl that came with Zuko's words would have been frightening if not for the pain and guilt she could hear in his voice.

"Since when have I ever listened to you, Firebug?" Xiaodan retorted drily as she began looking Iroh over.

"Why are you here?" Zuko demanded, lifting his head up to glare darkly at the white-haired girl, but she didn't look up at him, merely continued her examination.

"Your uncle is my friend." She replied nonchalantly then she suddenly lifted her head, molten orange eyes clashing with intense gold, "I _always_ held my friends. Always."

The banished prince narrowed his eyes at her but Xiaodan went back to looking down at Iroh, her gaze critically.

"I need to clean and bandage his wound." Xiaodan stated matter-of-factly then she glanced around at the burning town distastefully, "We need to move him. Preferably somewhere we won't be fried…"

Zuko's eyebrow twitched slightly, he had almost forgotten how annoying her cheeky comments were. If she was going to be traveling with him and his uncle from now on, he could tell it was going to be a long journey. Zuko briefly wondered if his sanity would be intact by the end of it.

* * *

**Author's Note: Long ass chapter is freaking long! Seriously 12.5k plus, not including either of the author's notes. This chapter is officially the longest of the story and I am mighty impressed with myself. Now, I was gonna post this tomorrow then I remembered it was my birthday and I would be too busy to post it, so I'm updating a day early, yay! **

**Anyhooties, I hope you guys liked this chapter, I'd really like your guys opinion on me writing Xia with Toph when Toph meets Iroh, because honestly I'm a little iffy on it and I'm not really sure **_**how**_** it happened exactly, but it just did. The chapter honestly wrote itself. Also, I'd love, love, love your guys thoughts on the two end parts, because those are completely original thought up by moi. Forgive any mistakes, my keyboard is still all fudged up and is acting more temperamental than a pregnant woman. Anyhooties, next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 9: Bitter Work and it will be updated whenever I get can get it up. There will be plenty of Zukia action as well as some Iroh/Xia father-uncle-niece-daughter-type bonding, so stay tuned for that awesomeness. On a side note, we're only 11 chapters away from the most EXPLOSIVE/DRAMA-Filled chapter in the entire story, which will be really fun 'cuz I've already got most of it planned out.**

**PS – I'm thinking of possibly writing a Yu Yu Hakusho fanfic in my spare time between work, school, and this story. A friend of my really likes the show and she adores Hiei, so she asked me to maybe write her a fic like I was doing for my sister and naturally I agreed because, well, I love writing stories for my friends and family. It'll most likely be a Hiei/OC romance and I'll probably write it the same way I'm writing this story, which means it'll be writing as close to the episodes as possible with an OC thrown in. What are your guys' thoughts? Would you like me to post it up here when I write the first few chapters? Or no?**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys rock and I lurves you muchos!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Me too, first time I saw Zuko Alone, I nearly cried. I actually have no idea what happened to his mother, there's supposed to be a comic about him and the GAang looking for her a year or so after the last episode of season 3. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**BlueWinterMoon: **Awesome, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Haha, I'm also happy you liked the little mentions of Xia. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I know right? Up until I saw Zuko Alone, he wasn't really my all-time favorite guy character, but that episode showed that Zuko is quite the multi-faceted character with a complicated past. Anyhooties, I hope you liked the long-awaited reunion between Zuko and Xia, it's a little short, but the next chapter will definitely have more Zuko/Xia interactions.

**Cat of Flames: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Anon Guest 1: **Haha, oh my God, as soon as I read your review, I started picturing that in my head and the mental image made me laugh so hard, I nearly cried. I'm not sure if that's the exact future the story is heading for, I haven't got that far in plotting out the story yet, but it is definitely a possibility! Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**LadyAmazon: **Yeah, but he always seems to pull through in the end, even if it takes him a while to do so. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Bridge on fire: **Thank you, I hope the fight between everyone and Azula in this chapter was okay, fight scenes are not really my forte. I hope you liked this chapter!

**Becky: **Haha, I'm glad you liked Toph, she's such a fun character to write. Toph and Xia are definitely gonna have a sibling bond once Xia rejoins the GAang in later chapters, it's gonna be similar to the bond Xia and Aang share but not exactly the same. Haha, yeah, I don't think Zuko and Xia will be sucking face at any point in this story, kissing yeah, but not mauling each other. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**MidgnightWolf191: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you liked this one too!

**Anon Guest 2: **Quick question, did you actually read the whole chapter or did you just read the AN at the beginning? Also, I'd like to point out that my sister just asked me to write her a story about Zuko, I came up with everything else except for the fact that Xiaodan is a duel-bender, that was my sister's idea. Besides, why does it even matter WHY I published the story? Yeah, I wrote it for fun and I do give her each chapter to read, but I fail to see why that means I shouldn't post it online. There's a ton of crazier crap that people put up online, so I really, really don't understand the point of your review. If you don't like my story, don't read it, honestly it's not a difficult concept to grasp. Also, I would like to point out that, yeah, Zuko is kinda dorky, but he would still be classified as a 'bad boy' seeing as how he is a _villain _in the first season of the show. In my book male villains equate to bad boys. I will concede to the fact that Jet is a bad boy, and my sister did like him at the beginning of his episode, but now she thinks he's a douche.

**Larissa Gates: **Thank you, I'm glad you like the story so far! You spelled Xia's full name right, but most of the story's reviewers just refer to her as Xia, it's easier and shorter to type out, I'm glad you like her character, she's definitely a blast to write. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**88dragon06: **Awesome, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Phew, so glad you think Zuko was in character, I was honestly worried about that (then again I'm always worried about that in regards to canon characters). Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!


	30. Chapter 30: Bitter Work

**AN: Whoo-hoo! Chapter 30 is finally here! This chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 9: Bitter Work, a few Zuko/Xia interactions in this chapter. Various POVs as usual, so enjoy lovelies!**

**PS – **_'Memories/Dreams/Thoughts'_

* * *

The sun began to rise over the rocky quarry located in the southeastern part of the Earth Kingdom, the faint rays barely peaking over the edge of the quarry to shine down on the four sleeping teens, sky bison, and lemur. As soon as the sunlight touched him, Aang woke up, an eager expression appearing on his face as he jumped to his feet.

"Today's the day!" He exclaimed excitedly as he jumped over Appa and twirled in the air before landing lightly on his feet near where Sokka was sleeping, "Can you believe it? After all this time searching for a teacher, I'm finally starting Earthbending! And this place, it's perfect, don't you think? Sokka?"

The Water Tribe boy grumbled in annoyance as he glared over his shoulder at Aang, upset at being woken up so early.

"Oh, you're still sleeping, huh?" Aang questioned obliviously and Sokka grumbled again as he pulled his sleeping bag over his head, "Sorry."

The ground suddenly began to shake and the earth tent on the other side of the abruptly disappeared back into the ground, revealing a chipper-looking Toph.

"Gooood morning, Earthbending student!" The blind Earthbender greet Aang loudly, waking up Katara and fully awakening Sokka, much to his annoyance.

"Good morning, Sifu Toph." Aang replied respectfully with a bow as Toph approached him.

"Hey, you never called me Sifu Katara…" Katara muttered in slight disappoint and Aang turned to look at her.

"Well, if you think I should…"

Sokka grumbled angrily and pulled his sleeping bag tighter over his head in an attempt to block out the sounds of his friends talking.

"Sorry, Snoozles, we'll do our Earthbending as quietly as we can." Toph said sarcastically then she Earthbended a rock under the Water Tribe boy, sending him flying into the air.

Sokka screeched as he went up in to the air then came back down, landing heavily on the ground with a grunt. Still in his sleeping bag, Sokka jumped to his feet and hopped over to Aang, mumbling incoherently at him before hopping over to Toph to the do the same. Continuing to mumble to himself, Sokka then hopped away from the other three, hoping to find a quiet place to sleep.

Aang blinked at Sokka's retreating form then bounced over to stand beside Toph.

"So what move are you going to teach me first? The rock-a-lance? The Trembler?" Aang asked eagerly as he gestured the moves with his arms, "Oh, maybe I could learn to make a whirlpool out of land!"

Toph shot her hand out and stopped Aang in the middle of his spin, "Let's start with…move a rock."

"Sounds good, sounds good." Aang said, his excitement not in the least bit dampened as he clapped his hands eagerly while Toph walked away.

* * *

"The key to Earthbending is your stance." Toph explained as she and Aang stood in front of two boulders then she took on a horse-stance, "You've got to be steady and strong. Rock is stubborn element. If you're going to move it, you've got to be like a rock yourself."

Aang stumbled slightly when Toph suddenly pushed him and he rubbed his side.

"Like a rock." He mumbled, still rubbing his side, "Got it."

"Good." Toph praised lightly, "Now the actual motion of this one is pretty simple."

Toph moved out of her horse-stance and turned sideways, then she swiftly moved back into her horse-stance and thrusted her fist out, Earthbending the boulder in front of her into the canyon wall. She straightened and turned her head in Aang's direction.

"Okay, you ready to give it a try?"

"I'm ready." Aang said confidently as he turned sideways and shifted into a horse-stance.

Aang stared at the rock through narrowed eyes, his expression determined then he thrusted his fist out towards the rock in an attempt to move.

"Ahh!" Aang yelped as he was forced backwards into Appa's side, the boulder remaining perfectly in place.

"Rock beats Airbender!" Sokka called out in amusement from his perch several yard away from Toph and Aang, still wrapped in his sleeping bag.

* * *

'_Iroh laughed as he ran up a hill with a small tree on it with his young son running after him, laughing loudly._

"_I got you, Dad!" Lu Ten exclaimed as he pretended to Firebend at his father._

_Iroh turned around and gasped, his hands coming up to grasp at his chest as he pretended to be hit and he fell onto the grassy ground. Lu Ten laughed happily and playfully jumped onto his father, causing Iroh to gasp in surprise. Lu Ten began to giggle manically as he sprawled out across his dad's stomach and Iroh began to laugh along with his young son._

* * *

_Iroh bowed his head and closed his eyes as he sat in front of Lu Ten's tomb beneath the same tree on the hill they used to play on, the rain pouring down around him._

"_My beloved it Lu Ten…I will see you again." Iroh murmured sadly as he opened his eyes and stared at the grave marker…'_

* * *

"Uncle?"

Iroh opened his eyes slowly when he heard his nephew's voice, the memories of his son fading as he began to regain consciousness.

"You were unconscious." Zuko stated worriedly, "Azula did this. It was a surprise attack."

Iroh winced as pain flared on the right side of his chest and shoulder.

"Somehow, that's not so surprising." Iroh commented then groaned as he tried to force himself into an upright position.

Warm hands suddenly began helping him sit up and Iroh turned his head, staring in surprise when his gold eyes met mischievous orange orbs.

"Careful, I just changed those bandages." Xiaodan quipped lightly with a small grin on her face, though her eyes betrayed her worry and Iroh smiled gratefully at her.

"Xiaodan," Iroh exclaimed happily after the white-haired girl had helped him prop himself up against the wall of the depilated house they had taken refuge in, "I must say it is a pleasant surprise to see you again."

"It _was_ a rather…unexpected turn of events." Xiaodan replied with a light chuckle as she folded her hands in her lap.

Zuko suddenly held a cup of tea out to his uncle, returning Iroh's attention to him. Iroh smiled in a pleased way and took the steaming cup.

"I hope I made it the way you like it." Zuko said as Iroh took a sip of the tea.

Xiaodan covered her mouth with a hand to hide the smile that was tugging at her lip as she watched Iroh's face contort into a grimace when he swallowed the tea.

"Mmm…Good." Iroh said then hurriedly down the rest of the tea and tried not to gag as he handed the cup back to his nephew, "That was very…uh…bracing."

Zuko smiled happily and took the cup then turned back to the small fire where the teapot was resting over. Xiaodan leaned forward slightly with a small apologetic smile on her lips.

"I'm sorry." Xiaodan whispered quietly, "I tried to make the tea, but he insisted."

Iroh smiled quickly at the white-haired girl in understanding then took the proffered second cup of tea Zuko was holding out to him. Zuko looked way to pour two more cups of tea and Iroh quickly tossed the tea in his cup over his shoulder and out the window behind him, much to Xiaodan's amusement.

"So, Uncle, I've been thinking." Zuko commented as he poured two more cups of tea and handed one to Xiaodan, who hid a grimace behind her hair as she took the cup.

"Thank you…" Xiaodan muttered, hesitantly staring at the steaming liquid in the tin cup and Zuko nodded in her direction before focusing his attention on his uncle again.

"It's only a matter of time before I run into Azula again. I'm going to need to know more advanced Firebending if I want to stand a chance against her." Zuko continued his train of thought then hurried to explain, "I know what you're going to say; she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her."

"No…" Iroh denied as he put the empty teacup on the ground beside him and placed his hands in his lap, "She's crazy and she needs to go down."

Zuko looked at his uncle in surprise and Xiaodan snorted into her cup as she pretended to drink Zuko's awful tea which she hurriedly put down when Iroh began to get to his feet.

"Iroh!" The Airbender chided lightly as she grabbed Iroh's elbow and helped him to his feet, "Be careful, you silly old man."

"I'll be fine." The older man said dismissively then faced his nephew, "It's time to resume your training."

Xiaodan sighed and threw her hands up in exasperation as Iroh led Zuko outside of the depilated house. The white-haired girl crossed her arms over her chest and huffed in annoyance before trailing after the two Firebenders, her curiosity getting the best of her.

* * *

"I don't understand what went wrong." Katara stated in confusion as she stood beside Toph next to the boulder that Aang was unable to move while the boy himself approached them, "He did it exactly the way you did."

"Maybe there's another way…" Aang said hopefully, "What if I came at the boulder from a different angle?"

"No!" Toph refuted his theory sharply, grabbing onto the collar of his shirt when he tried to walk past her, "That's the problem. You've got to stop thinking like an Airbender. There's no different angle, no clever solution, no trickety-trick that's going to move that rock. You've got to face it head on. And when I say head on, I mean like this…"

Aang and Katara stared in surprise as Toph jumped up and slammed her head onto the boulder, completely shattering it.

"Whoa!" Aang gasped as he jerked backwards slightly in shock, then his shoulders slumped slightly in disappointment.

Katara glanced over at Aang's disappointed face then hurriedly ran after Toph, who was walking away from them.

"I've been training Aang for a while now." Katara said as she came up beside Toph and touched her shoulder, halting her in her tracks, "He really responds well to a positive teaching experience. Lots of encouragement and praise. Kind words. If he's doing something wrong, maybe a gentle nudge in the right direction."

"Thanks, Katara." Toph replied as a smirk began to form on her lips, "A gentle nudge, I'll try that."

"Keep your knees high, Twinkle Toes!" Toph shouted at the top of her lungs a few moments later as Aang struggled to hold a rock on his back while Earthbended up the ground into small pillars beneath his feet.

Aang gritted his teeth as he spread his legs to keep his balance, turning one knee inward slightly. His eyes widened when the large boulder on his back caused him to the tip to the side and he stumbled in an attempt to get his balance back only to crash into ground with a yelp.

* * *

Toph rubbed her hands together quickly then pulled one arm back before thrusting it forward into the hard rock in front of her, her fingers easily digging into the rock. Aang watched her for a moment then turned to the rock in front of him. He quickly rubbed his hands together then thrusted one hand forward, only to cringe violently as his hand smashed into the hard rock.

Toph sighed quietly and led him out of the small overhang they had been standing up and back into the canyon.

* * *

Aang stood in his horse-stance, nervous sweat dripping from his forehead as he waited.

"Rock-like!" Toph shouted suddenly as she jumped out of the ground and landed beside Aang

"Ah!" Aang yelped in fright and fell onto his back, his eyes wide.

Toph's expression became flat and she kicked up a small earth pillar that pushed Aang back to his feet then she poked him in the head when he was standing next to her again, causing Aang to wince slightly.

* * *

Sokka grunted and struggled to grab his club back from Toph, but the blind girl was easily keeping the weapon away from him with one hand while her other was pressed against Sokka's face. Toph finally sighed and shoved Sokka away, causing him to stumble backwards a few steps. Sokka pouted and glared at Toph for a moment then stomped away from her and Aang.

Toph smirked slightly and handed the club to a blindfolded Aang, who took the club warily. Nodding once, Toph quickly walked over to a boulder and jumped on top of it, then she began Earthbended up small rock pillars while Aang tried to smash them with the club. Aang missed the first four rock pillars but was finally able to smash the fifth one that appeared in front of him, causing Toph to close her eyes and nod approvingly.

Toph jumped from the rock as Aang took of his blindfold and she moved to stand several feet across from him. Moving on to their next session, Toph Earthbended two tall walls of rock on either side of her and Aang, then she used Earthbending to draw a line in the dirt in front of her. Aang watched her warily then gaped in shock when Toph bended a suit of rock over her body, her blind eyes the only thing visible on her person. He gasped loudly when Toph in her rock suit began sliding across the ground towards and he quickly threw his hands up with a grunt when she reached him, pushing him back several feet before he was able push her backward towards the line she had drawn in the dirt. Toph pushed back which caused Aang to push against the rock suit harder until he successfully managed to push her several feet across the boundary line.

Toph let the rock suit fall off her body and she nodded on in approval again then she quickly lowered the rock walls to begin the next part of Aang's training. She led Aang over to a circular rock with a smooth top where she had him stand in the middle then she bended two pillars beneath his feet then she created a rock weight and tossed it up to him. Aang caught with both hands and looked down at his teacher expectantly.

"Toss it from hand to hand while keeping your balance."

Aang took a deep breath and began tossing the rock weight from hand to hand, while Toph stared blankly up at him. Fifteen minutes passed and Toph moved to stand in the middle of the two pillars while Aang continued to toss the rock weight back-and-forth.

"Rock-like!" She barked loudly then used Earthbending to shake the pillars.

Aang held the rock weight with both hands, a determined expression on his face as he held a solid stance without losing his balance. He looked at Toph curiously when she appeared next to him on another rock pillar then he smiled happily when she nodded in approval.

* * *

In a different part of the canyon, Sokka perched in a tree and stared down at the little animal innocently munching on a patch of grass below him.

"You're awfully cute, but unfortunately you're made of a meat." Sokka quipped to himself as he gestured with his machete, "Just a bit closer…"

The animal moved to another patch of grass closer to the tree and Sokka jumped from the tree with a shout, his machete raised above his head. The Water Tribe boy grunted when he landed in a crack that was in the ground, the little animal standing in front of him. The animal blinked then stepped closer to Sokka, its little tail wagging happily as it sniffed him,

"Gotcha!" Sokka exclaimed after a moment and raised his machete above his head again, only to sink up to his shoulders into the crack.

Sokka struggled for a moment then glared at the little animal, pointing an accusing finger at it.

"You are one lucky little meat creature." He stated then scowled when the little animal crouched and began wagging its tail playfully at him, causing Sokka to huff.

"Xia would be laughing her head off if she saw this…"

* * *

"Lightning is a pure expression of Firebending, without aggression." Iroh explained wisely as he sat across from his nephew while Xiaodan sat to his right a tea kettle boiled over a small fire in front of them, "It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other Firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire. It is precise and deadly, like Azula. To perform the technique requires peace of mind."

While Iroh spoke, Xiaodan silently picked up the tin kettle and poured the hot liquid into Iroh's clay teapot then she poured the tea into three cups. She quietly handed on cup to Iroh then held the second one out to Zuko.

"I see." Zuko said quietly in understanding as he took the cup, "That's why we're drinking tea, to calm the mind."

"Oh yeah, good point!" Iroh exclaimed with a grin after he took a sip of his tea then he quickly corrected himself, "I mean, yes."

Xiaodan giggled quietly and took a sip of her drink, resisting the urge to shake her head at the old man. The three finished their tea in companionable silence then Iroh stood, gesturing for Zuko to follow him as he walked out of the depilated house towards the cliff edge that overlooked the valley where the abandoned village he had been wounded in was. Xiaodan got to her feet and shuffled forward to sit on the porch in a cross-legged position while Zuko trailed after his uncle.

"There is energy all around us. The energy is both yin and yang." Iroh continued to explain, folding his hands in front of his chest for a moment before looking at his nephew and holding up one finger then another finger of the opposite hand, "Positive energy and negative energy. "

"Only a select few Firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance." Iroh described as he turned to face Zuko fully, gesturing with his hands as Xiaodan wander a little closer, "The energy wants to restore balance, and in a moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together. You provide release and guidance, creating lightning."

Iroh gestured for Zuko to take a few steps back then Zuko and Xiaodan watched with anticipation as Iroh turned to face the cliff edge and began making circular motions with his arms, lightning sparking at his fingertips. A few seconds later, Iroh thrusted his hand outward and lightning shot from his fingertips away from him, Zuko and Xiaodan.

"I'm ready to try it!" Zuko said eagerly as he stared in awe in the direction his uncle had shot the lightning.

"Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it." Iroh instructed as he began to gently massage his bandaged shoulder and Xiaodan stepped forward to inspect it worriedly, "You are simply its humble guide. Breathe first."

Xiaodan stopped her worried inspection and shifted to look at Zuko as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes before exhaling. The white-haired girl watched alongside Iroh as the banished prince performed the same circular motions Iroh had a moment ago then Zuko thrusted his hand forward, but instead of generating lightning, he created an explosion that launched him backwards over to where Iroh and Xiaodan were standing.

Iroh closed his eyes and shook his head in vague disappointment while Xiaodan kneeled beside Zuko, her caring nature forcing her to make sure he was alright, though he snarled and pushed her away from him angrily. Xiaodan huffed once and crossed her arms over her chest, fixing a heated glare on the scarred teen as he got to his feet.

* * *

"This time we're going to try something a little different." Toph stated as she stood at the bottom of the canyon with Aang and Katara later that day to continue Aang's Earthbending training, "Instead of moving rock, you're going to stop a rock. Get in your horse-stance!"

Aang hurriedly shifted into his horse-stance and Toph nodded once then pointed up at the steep slope with a boulder at the top.

"I'm going to roll that boulder down at you." Toph said calmly as Aang stared up at the boulder in horrified shock, "If you have the attitude of an Earthbender, you'll stay in your stance and stop the rock. Like this!"

Toph moved into her own horse-stance beside Aang and stretched her arms out towards the steep slope, her palms facing outward.

"Sorry Toph," Katara apologized as she interrupted and Toph straightened to face her, "But are you really sure this is the way to teach Aang Earthbending?"

"I'm glad you said something. Actually there is a better way." Toph replied then took Aang's cloth belt from his waist and blindfolded him with it, "This way, you'll actually have to sense the vibrations of the boulder to stop it. Thank you, Katara."

"Yeah, thanks, Katara." Aang stated sarcastically as he turned his head to look at the dark-haired girl.

Katara giggled nervously, a sheepish smile on her face as Toph Earthbended herself to the top of the canyon beside the boulder. The dark-haired Waterbender hurriedly walked several feet away, her hands clasped worriedly to her chest as Momo perched on her shoulder, his head peaking over her own.

Toph pushed the boulder down the slope towards Aang, who was facing it with a worried and nervous expression on his face. Katara gasped quietly and covered her mouth with her hands and Momo pinned his ears against his head and crouched down further while Toph merely stood at the top of the slope and crossed her arms as the boulder rapidly approached Aang.

Aang clenched his teeth and nervous sweat dripped down his face as he listened and felt the boulder's approach. The boulder was almost upon him and at the last second, Aang swiftly jumped into the air, the boulder rolling past harmlessly. Katara let her hands and she watched with a slight frown as the boulder rolled past her and slammed into the opposite canyon wall with a loud crash. Aang landed beside the trench the heavy boulder had made and pulled off his blindfold just as Toph ran up to him, her nose nearly touching his.

"I guess I just panicked." Aang hurried to explain as Toph glared at him, "I don't know what to say."

"There's nothing to say, you blew it!" Toph shouted angrily then she pushed him down, "You had the perfect stance and the perfect form. But when it came right down to it, you didn't have the guts!"

"I know." Aang murmured as he hung his head in disappointment, sitting cross-legged on the ground, "I'm sorry…"

"Yeah, you _are_ sorry." Toph snapped derisively as she got in Aang's face, "If you're not tough enough to stop the rock, then you can at least give it the pleasure of smashing you instead of jumping out of the way like a jelly-boned wimp! Now, do you have what it takes to face the rock like an Earthbender?"

"No," Aang replied with an ashamed expression, "I don't think I do."

"Aang, it's no big deal." Katara said reassuringly as she approached and put her hands on Aang's shoulders, "You'll take a break and try Earthbending again when you're ready. Besides, you still have a lot of Waterbending to work on. Okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." Aang stated gratefully as he got to his feet and let Katara lead him away from Toph.

"Yeah, whatever, go splash around until you feel better." Toph snarked scathingly as Katara and Aang walked away, "Xia would have had what it takes to stop that rock!"

Aang flinched slightly and hung his head further slightly, silently wondering if Toph was right. Even though his sister had been raised the same way he had been, she had always been the more brazen one.

* * *

Xiaodan calmly sat beside Iroh as they watched Zuko try and fail to generate lightning for what seemed like the hundredth time, the smoke from the explosion billowing up towards the sky.

"Why can't I do it?!" Zuko demanded angrily as he clenched his fist then he turned to look at Iroh, "Instead of lightning it keeps blowing up in my face…like everything always does."

Xiaodan frowned slightly at the despondent tone in the usually proud teen's voice.

"I was afraid this might happen." Iroh sighed as he got up and approached his nephew with Xiaodan watching him from the beside the house, "You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you."

"What turmoil?" Zuko demanded angrily and Xiaodan couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly at that.

"Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away."

"But I don't feel any shame at all." Zuko replied stubbornly and stared at his uncle, "I'm as proud as ever."

"Unfortunately…" Xiaodan muttered drily to herself and rolled her eyes again.

"Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source." Iroh explained sagely, "True humility is the only antidote to shame."

"Well, my life has been nothing but humbling lately…" Zuko murmured, turning away from his uncle with a miserable expression on his face.

Iroh looked off to the side for a moment then looked back at his nephew when an idea hit him.

"I have another idea. I will teach you a Firebending move that even Azula doesn't know." Iroh stated then grinned widely when Zuko turned to look at him curiously, "Because I made it up myself."

Zuko gave his uncle a small, grateful smile and Xiaodan blinked.

'_He should smile more often…' _Xiaodan thought to herself then flushed slightly and shook her head to rid herself of those silly thoughts.

* * *

"You probably think I deserve this, don't you?" Sokka, still stuck in the hole, asked the little animal rhetorically as it curled on the top of his head and peered down at him, "Look, I'm sorry I hunted you, but that's just the natural order of things. Big things eat smaller things, nothing personal. But this time it didn't work out that way."

The little animal yawned widely and turned a circle on Sokka's head then began rubbing at its face with a paw.

"I admit it, you're cute." Sokka commented as the animal cleaned its face, "Okay, you convinced me, if I get out of this alive, it's a karmacally correct, vegetarian existence for me. No meat, even though meat is so tasty."

Sokka stared sadly at nothing as the little animal hopped off his head and disappeared behind some bushes. A fly suddenly began buzzing around his head and Sokka attempted to swat at it, then groaned when it landed on his forehead. His dismayed expression suddenly brightened when he saw the little animal running towards him and he lifted his head, the fly buzzing off from the sudden movement. The little animal stopped a foot or so away from Sokka and dropped the apple it was carrying in its mouth on the ground then it used its nose to nudge it towards the trapped boy.

"Hey, looks like my karma's already paying off!" Sokka said happily as the apple stopped several inches from him, "That's okay, I got."

Sokka wiggled around a bit until he managed to pull his boomerang from the sheath on his back, then he tossed it towards the apple, where it landed with a dull thud beside it.

"Now, come back boomerang." Sokka ordered as he pointed at the weapon, which didn't move and the little creature began to wag its tail again.

* * *

A frog rested calmly on a rock in a small pond in the canyon then it croaked loudly when it was suddenly picked up. Momo held the frog curiously as it croaked and began to wiggle until it managed to slip out of Momo's grip and hop back into the water. Momo screeched in protest and leaned forward, waving his hands around in an attempt to grab the frog again, only to lose his balance and fall face first into the water with his tail sticking straight up.

Several yards away, Aang and Katara stood in the pond, Waterbending a single glob of water back-and-forth between each other in a circular motion.

"You know this block you're having is only temporary, right?" Katara asked carefully as she moved the water back towards Aang.

"I don't want to talk about it." Aang muttered in reply, passing the glob of water back to her.

"You do realize that's the problem, don't you?" Katara stated calmly, "If you face this issue instead of avoiding it-"

"I know, I know, I know, I know!" Aang interrupted with a shake of his head as he let his hands fall to his sides, causing the glob of water to fall back into the pond and he turned away from Katara, "I get it, alright? I need to face it head on like a rock, but I just can't do it. I don't know why I can't, but I can't."

"Aang, if fire and water are opposites, then what's the opposite of air?" Katara questioned gently.

"I guess it's earth."

"That's why it's so difficult for you to get his." Katara explained easily, "You're working with your natural opposite. But you'll figure it out. I know you will."

Katara smirked and reached behind, breaking off a piece of the reed behind her.

"Think fast!" She called out suddenly as she threw the reed at Aang.

Aang's eyes widened momentarily and he quickly bended up a wave of water that sliced the reed in half before it could hit him. Katara smiled and put her hands on her hips, a proud expression on her face.

"Excellent." She praised him, "You have the reflexes of a Waterbending master."

"Thanks, Katara." Aang said with a smile then he bowed to her, "_Sifu _Katara."

Katara smiled and bowed back.

* * *

Xiaodan sat cross-legged on the cliff edge several feet away from Iroh and Zuko, her back to the valley below as she listened to Iroh instruct Zuko. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply as she meditated to the sound of the older man's soothing voice.

"Fire is the element of power." Iroh stated as he stood before his nephew and drew the symbol for Firebending in the dirt with a long stick then drew a box around the symbol, "The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy to drive and achieve what they want."

"Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth King are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring." Iroh said as he drew the symbol for Earthbending then he started drawing the symbol for Airbending, "The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom."

Zuko glanced away from his uncle over to where Xiaodan was meditating several feet away, seeming to be ignoring him and his uncle.

"Also, they apparently had a pretty good sense of humor!" Iroh commented with a grin as he looked at his nephew, who turned back to stare at him blankly and Xiaodan chuckled quietly under her breath.

Iroh's amused expression turned serious again and he continued his explanation of the four bending elements.

"Water is the element of change." He stated then drew the Waterbending symbol, "The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything."

Zuko stared at the four symbols then looked up at his uncle, "Why are you telling me these things."

"It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale." Iroh stated then drew two lines that divided the four insignias into separate sections, "Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole."

As he finished speaking, Iroh drew a circle around the four insignias to demonstrate what he was saying.

"All this four elements talk is sounding like Avatar stuff." Zuko commented and Xiaodan opened her eyes to look at him warily.

"It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. But it can make you more powerful, too." Iroh replied calmly then he smiled slightly, "You see the technique I'm about to teach you is one I learned by studying the Waterbenders."

Xiaodan cocked her head curiously at that then she shrugged and returned to her meditation, her thought drifting to what her brother and friends were doing. She hoped they were okay.

* * *

Aang sat cross-legged on a flat rock in the canyon with his eyes closed as he tried to meditate, the sun beginning to set behind him while Momo slept by his feet. Toph suddenly came over and sat behind him on the rock, a small bag in her hand.

"Aang, I found these nuts in your bag. I figured you wouldn't mind." Toph stated as she held the bag of nuts up for Aang to see, "And besides, even if you did, you're too much of a pushover to do anything about it."

Aang pursed his lips slightly and glanced over his shoulder at the blind girl.

"As a matter of fact, I don't mind. I'm happy to share anything I have." He stated calmly then closed his eyes to return to his meditation.

"You know, I'm really glad you feel that way." Toph said slyly as she turned and held up Aang's staff, twirling it slightly, "Because I also have this great new nutcracker."

Aang blanched and turned his head just in time to see Toph slam the end of his staff down on a nut, effectively cracking it open.

"Actually, I prefer if you didn't-" Aang started then cringed when she slammed the staff down on another nut, "That's an antique, handcrafted by the monks-"

Another crack and Aang's voice rose an octave, "It's a delicate instrument!"

"It's not the only delicate instrument around here." Toph quipped as she popped nut in her mouth while Momo perched on her arm and ate some of the other nuts in her hand.

Toph wiped her mouth then stood and began walking way, hitting Aang's staff off the rocks as she walked. Aang scowled at her retreating back then turned faced forward again, pressing his knuckles together.

"Ohm…" He muttered as he tried to continue meditating.

"Hey Aang, have you seen-"

"Meditating here!" Aang cut Katara off, his brow furrowing in annoyance.

"It's important." Katara stated then continued when Aang turned his head to look at her over his shoulder, "It's almost sundown and Sokka isn't back yet. I think we should search for him."

"We'll find him faster if we split up." Aang said as he Airbended himself to his feet then jumped off the rock in one direction while Katara ran in another.

* * *

"Okay, karma person or thing, whoever's in charge of this stuff. If I can just get out of this situation alive, I will up meat and sarcasm. Okay?" Sokka pleaded slightly as the little animal yanked on his warrior's wolf tail until it managed to rip the band out of his hair, "Ow!"

Sokka stared up at the sky and continued pleading with the universe, "That's all I've got. It's pretty much my whole identity. Sokka, the meat and sarcasm guy. But I'm willing to be Sokka, the veggies and straight talk fellow. Deal?"

Aang suddenly appeared several feet in front of him and Sokka's expression brightened.

"Aang! Thank goodness!" The trapped Water Tribe boy exclaimed happily, "Have you got any meat?"

"Sokka!" Aang shouted in relief as he ran towards the older boy and stopped in front of him, "Are you okay?"

Without waiting for a reply, Aang grabbed Sokka's hands and tried to pull him out of the crack he was stuck in.

"Aggh, stop, stop!" Sokka protested loudly, "You're going to pull my fingers off and I don't think the rest of me is coming!"

Aang stopped pulling on his hands and rubbed his chin in thought, "Hmm…I bet I can Airbend you out of here."

The young Airbender took a deep breath and brought his hands up to his chest then he thrusted them downward, sending a powerful gust of wind into the crack but Sokka remained trapped. Sokka grunted as his boomerang and machete came down and smacked the top of his head.

"Seriously Aang, I know you're new at it, but I could use a little Earthbending here." Sokka said desperately, "How about it?"

"I can't…" Aang replied ashamedly as he looked away from Sokka, "I can't do it.'

"Well, if you can't Earthbend me out of here, go get Toph."

"I can't do that either."

"You can't?" Sokka asked in confusion and exasperation, "Why not?"

"I would just be really…uncomfortable." Aang replied without looking at the older boy.

"Uncomfortable?" Sokka parroted in disbelief then continued sarcastically, "Well, I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable…"

"Thanks, Sokka." Aang said gratefully, Sokka's sarcasm going right over his head as he sat down beside the trapped boy and wrapped his arms around his knees, "This whole Earthbending thing really has me confused. There's so much pressure. Everyone expects me to get it right away. It puts me in a really awkward position."

"Awkward position, I think I know the feeling." Sokka commented drily, wiggling his hands slightly.

"If I try, I fail." Aang continued despondently, "If I don't try, I'm never going to get it. I feel like I'm caught between a rock and a hard place."

"Hmm…How 'bout that." Sokka muttered then sighed when the little animal suddenly returned and he gestured towards it with his hand, "Aang, this is my friend, Foo Foo Cuddlypoops. Foo Foo Cuddlypoops, Aang."

"Awww," Aang cooed as he got to his feet and picked up the little animal, "What a cute name for a baby sabertooth moose-lion cub."

"Really? He looks nothing like a sabertooth moose-lion cub." Sokka said in slight surprise as he looked up at the cub.

"It's hard to tell before their giant teeth and horns grow in." Aang explained as held the sabertooth moose-lion cub in his hands, "Whatcha doing out here, little guy? Did you lose your mama?"

The cub blinked at him, its tongue sticking out of the side of its mouth slightly.

"Grrr-aar!"

Aang's eyes widened and he turned his head to stare nervously at the large mother sabertooth moose-lion that was standing behind some short bushes behind him and Sokka. The mother sabertooth moose-lion growled then roared again.

* * *

"Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy. A Waterbender lets their defense become their offense, turning their opponents' energy against them." Iroh explained as he and Zuko made a pushing and pulling motion that Xiaodan had seen Katara use while Waterbending, "I learned a way to do this with lightning."

Zuko stopped and smiled slightly in eagerness at his uncle, "You can teach me to redirect lightning?"

Xiaodan quirked an eyebrow and she looked up at Iroh curiously from her sitting position a few feet away from the two Firebenders. The white-haired girl jumped to her feet nimbly and walked closer to Zuko and Iroh, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it." Iroh explained, nodding slightly at Xiaodan when she came to a stop beside Zuko, "You must create a pathway from your fingertips, up your arm to your shoulder, then down into your stomach."

Zuko and Xiaodan watched intently as Iroh raised his left arm diagonally, two fingers pointing outward while he dragged his left hand up his arm to his shoulder then to his stomach.

"The stomach is the source of energy in your body. It is called the sea of chi." Iroh stated then he smiled slightly and patted his rounded belly, "Only in my case it is more like a vast ocean."

Iroh laughed at his joke and Xiaodan giggled along with him. Zuko gave them both a blank look and they stopped laughing. Iroh's face became serious again and he moved back into his previous position, his left arm raised diagonally while his right hand pointed at his stomach.

"From the stomach, you direct it up again, and out the other arm." He continued to explain how to redirect lightning then he raised his right arm diagonally from his body to demonstrate what he meant.

"The stomach detour is critical." Iroh stated firmly as he lowered his arms and approached Zuko and Xiaodan then he pressed two fingers to his nephew's chest, right where his heart was, "You must not let the lightning pass through your heart, or the damage could be deadly."

Zuko looked down at his chest then back at his uncle, a grave and understand expression on his face. Xiaodan smiled slightly, unable to stop herself from admiring the sheer tenacity that the grouchy prince displayed. Not that she'd ever tell him that she actually _admired_ something about him, his ego was big enough.

"You may wish to try a physical motion, to get a feel for the pathways', like this." Iroh suggested then began to demonstrate.

He shifted into a horse stance, raising his left arm diagonally with two fingers pointing outward while raising right arm parallel to his left. Zuko shifted into a similar position and after a moment of consideration, Xiaodan did as well. Iroh gave a short nod of approval then dragged his right hand down his left arm towards his shoulder and down to his stomach, turning his body slightly as he thrusted his right arm diagonally upward, his fingers pointing outward while Zuko and Xiaodan easily mimicked his motions simultaneously. They repeated the motion in the opposite direction and Xiaodan grinned when she felt her energy almost following her motions.

"Now, are you focusing your energy?" Iroh asked as he began to slowly do the motion again, "Can you feel your own chi flowing in, down, up, and out?"

Xiaodan hummed in agreement as she let her body flow through the motions, feeling her chi flowing with her.

"I think so…" Zuko muttered, slightly unsure as he continued practicing, his eyes closing briefly as he concentrated on his energy.

"Come on, you've got to feel the flow." Iroh stated with a smile as he began doing a wave like gesture with his arms.

Xiaodan laughed lightly and Zuko rolled his eyes, though his lips twitched slightly in amusement and the three of them continued practicing for several more minutes as the sun began to set in front of them.

"Excellent!" Iroh praised as he dropped his arms and straightened, "You've both got it!"

Zuko and Xiaodan straightened and bowed respectfully to Iroh.

"Great!" Zuko said eagerly as he straightened from his bow, "I'm ready to try it with real lightning!"

"What, are you crazy?" Iroh asked in surprise and Xiaodan gave Zuko a look that clearly said she thought he really _was _crazy, "Lightning is very dangerous!"

"I thought that was the point!" Zuko stated matter-of-factly, "You teaching me to protect myself from it!"

"Yeah! But I'm not going to shoot lightning at you!" Iroh exclaimed in exasperation and worry then he turned his back on Zuko, his hands clasped behind him, "If you're lucky, you will never have to use this technique at all!"

Xiaodan watched as Iroh walked back towards the depilated house then she turned to look at Zuko, who was scowling darkly as he stared at the encroaching storm clouds in the distant.

"Well, if you won't help me, I'll find my own lightning." The banished prince snapped as he stomped over to the ostrich-horse.

Iroh closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly as his nephew rode away, towards the storm clouds. Xiaodan pursed her lips slightly as she watched Zuko disappear around a couple rocks then she turned to Iroh and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I'll go make sure he doesn't get himself killed." She muttered then walked over to where her glider was leaning against the depilated house's porch.

"Thank you." Iroh replied gratefully as the white-haired girl snapped her glider and took a running start then jumped into the air, soaring in the direction Zuko had gone in.

* * *

"Hey there," Aang said nervously to the enraged mother sabertooth moose-lion then he held her cub out to her, "We found your cub!"

The sabertooth moose-lion cub wailed slightly and its mother's black eyes narrowed in on Aang. The young Airbender swallowed quietly then placed the cub on the ground and it ran underneath its mother, disappearing into the bushes behind her.

See, we have no problem with you! We're friendly!" Aang said in an attempt to sooth the angry sabertooth moose-lion mother, who roared then shook her head angrily.

"Aang, this is bad!" Sokka exclaimed as he peered over his shoulder at the enraged animal, "You've got to get me out of here!"

The mother sabertooth moose-lion gave a short roar then charged at Aang and Sokka, the latter screaming in terror. The mother animal got closer to them and Aang quickly Airbended the charging animal over their heads, her claws just grazing the tips of Sokka's hair. The sabertooth moose-lion landed on her feet and skidded across the dirt then she whirled around and roared at the two boys again.

"This is really bad!" Sokka stated in a high-pitched voice as he looked over his shoulder at Aang, "Please, Aang, you have to Earthbend me out, there's no other way!"

Aang looked away then took a deep breath, his expression becoming determined. He quickly shifted into a horse-stance then tried to Earthbend Sokka from the hole he was stuck in, but nothing happened. Sokka glared up at him slightly and Aang gave him a sheepish smile, then both of them blanched when the sabertooth moose-lion roared again. Their eyes went wide as the mother sabertooth moose-lion began pawing at the ground in preparation to charge again.

"Oh no!" Aang gasped and he quickly jumped onto a tall rock a few feet away from Sokka, "Woo-hoo, look at me!"

The Airbender began dancing atop the rock in an effort to distract the sabertooth moose-lion, but she only spared him a brief glance before turning to look at the still trapped Sokka. The Water Tribe boy paled considerably when the sabertooth moose-lion roared again then charged towards him. Aang quickly stopped dance and jumped off the rock, knocking the sabertooth moose-lion to the side with a gust of air just before she reached a terrified Sokka.

"Please, don't leave me again." Sokka pleaded, his eyes wide and his face pale as he looked over his shoulder at Aang, who was standing protectively between him and the enraged mother animal.

"I won't." Aang promised as he stared at the sabertooth moose-lion.

The sabertooth moose-lion growled then charged again and Aang shifted into a firmer stance, his arms raised in preparation as he stood his ground against the enraged mother animal. The sabertooth moose-lion lowered her head as she approached and prepared to gore the two boys. At the last second, Aang thrusted his fists forward and sent a powerful blast of air at the sabertooth moose-lion, sending her flying several yards away. The sabertooth moose-lion rolled to her feet and shook her head once then trotted away into the bushes. Aang slumped forward in relief then whirled around when he heard someone clapping him.

"What are you doing here?" Sokka demanded as he stared at Toph sitting atop a rock several feet away from him and Aang.

"Just enjoying the show." The blind girl replied flippantly with a small smirk.

"What?" Aang demanded as he straightened and his brow twitched slightly in annoyance, "You were there the whole time?"

"Pretty much."

"Why didn't you do something?" Aang shouted angrily as he pointed accusingly at Toph, "Sokka was in trouble! I was in trouble! You could have gotten him out and helped us get away!"

"Guess it just didn't occur to me." Toph responded lightly as she tossed a nut on the ground and prepared to crack it with Aang's staff.

"Enough!" Aang barked as he stormed over to her and yanked his staff out of her hands, "I want my staff back!"

Toph stood and jumped from the rock to land in front of Aang, "Do it now!"

"What?" Aang demanded in annoyance as he looked slightly down at the blind girl in front of him.

"Earthbend, Twinkle Toes." Toph clarified then poked Aang in the chest, "You just stood your ground against a crazy beast. And even more impressive, you stood your ground against me. You've got the stuff."

"But-"

"Do it!" Toph ordered, cutting him off before he could doubt himself.

Aang quickly leaned his staff against the rock then slammed his foot onto the ground and thrusted his arm forward, sending boulder into the canyon wall.

"You did it!" Toph exclaimed proudly, "You're an Earthbender."

"I can't believe it!" Aang gaped in disbelief as he as stared at the destroyed rock he had just Earthbended.

"Awww, this is a really wonderful, touching moment." Sokka snarked sarcastically from his trapped position in the ground, "So could you get me out of here so I can give you both a big, snuggly, hug?"

"No problem, Sokka!" Aang said happily as he prepared to Earthbend his friend out of the ground, only to be stopped by Toph.

"Actually, you should probably let me do that." Toph said in explanation, "You're still a little new to this. You might accidently crush him."

"Yeah, no crushing, please." Sokka mumbled worriedly.

Toph quickly stomped her foot, kicking up the ground beneath Sokka's feet which pushed him a foot or so out of the whole he was trapped in then she grabbed him by the hair and yanked him the rest of the way before letting him fall onto his stomach.

* * *

The three walked back to the section of the canyon where they had made camp as night began fall, Aang supporting Sokka while Toph held Aang's staff.

"You found him!" Katara cried out happily as she ran towards the three then embraced her brother tightly after Aang had let him go and Momo leapt onto the Airbender's shoulder with a happy chitter.

"The whole time I was in that hole, not knowing if I was going to live or die." Sokka said quietly as he looked at his sister tiredly, "It makes a man think about what's really important. I realize-"

"Hey Katara, look what I can do!" Aang interrupted Sokka then Earthbended a rock from the ground and slammed it into the canyon wall.

"You did it! I knew you would!" Katara said happily then leaned down to whisper to Toph, "You tried the positive reinforcement, didn't you?"

"Yep, it worked wonders." Toph replied gleefully then she addressed Aang, "Xia would be proud of you, Twinkle Toes."

Aang beamed joyfully at her praise and he turned to Appa.

"Appa, Appa, I can Earthbend now!" Aang exclaimed excitedly as he shifted into a horse-stance in front of the sky bison, "The key is being completely rooted. Physically and mentally unmovable!"

Appa grumbled and licked roughly, sending the bald boy flying a few feet where he landed on his chest with his legs sticking up behind him. Sokka started laughing hysterically, clutching at his stomach as he pointed Aang's sprawled out form. Aang pushed himself up and rubbed his head as he laughed along with Sokka.

* * *

Zuko stood at the top of a small cliff and glared at the storm clouds in front of him while the storm raged around him.

"You've always thrown everything you could at me! Well, I can take it and now I can give it back!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

The banished prince glared at the gray clouds and lightning flashed, briefly lighting up the gray clouds but lightning strikes didn't come near him.

"Come on, strike me!" Zuko roared as loud as he could as the storm raged around him, "You've never held back before!"

His eyes shifted from side-to-side, but no more lightning flashed across the sky and Zuko closed his eyes tightly as tears began to stream down his cheeks. He screamed wordlessly at the sky then fell to his hands and knees as the rain continued to pour around him. His shoulders shook slightly as he continued to cry when warmth suddenly enveloped him and he unconsciously leaned into the embrace.

Zuko lifted his head and his breath caught slightly in his throat when his gold eyes met familiar molten orange orbs. Xiaodan stared back at him with a soft expression on her tanned and tattooed face then she purposefully looked away, letting him keep his pride intact even as he took the comfort she silently offered with her embrace.

* * *

**Author's Note: …I…Wow…Just wow, you guys are seriously awesome, 20 reviews for the last chapter, that's the most reviews for ANY chapter of this story. You guys completely blew my mind and I completely apologize for such a late update, life has been hectic lately. Anyhooties, I hope y'all like the ending bit of this chapter because I can honestly say that it's my favorite part of the whole chapter. I thought that scene in the episode would be the perfect way to show Xia's and Zuko's transition from rivals/acquaintances to friends/playful rivals/semi-romantic interests, if that makes sense. Anyhooties, next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 10: The Library and it will be updated sometime this week, so stay tuned for that!**

**Special THANKs to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are just awesome and I lurves you muchos!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS (all 20 of them)!**

**Katie11-18: **Thank you, I'm glad you like the story so far. To answer your question, the answer is no, Xia can't control ALL of the elements. She can only control air and fire, making her a duel-bender, but she doesn't remember that she can control fire at the moment, that's going to come to light in the last episode of Season 2. I hope that cleared up any confusion. :)

**Molly Grace 16: **Awesome, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Hehe, that part was actually inspired by my mom going off of my brother, sister and me earlier in the day, we'd been acting a lot like Katara, Aang, and Toph did in that episode. Ah yes, Zuko isn't technically in the next episode, but I'm going to do that episode anyway, I'll just add some original parts that feature Zuko, Xia, and Iroh. Hmm, you bring up a good point, I honestly hadn't thought about doing a chapter that was solely based on Xia. If I did do a chapter like that, it would definitely not be as long as the other chapters, and now that I think about it, I know the perfect chapter do something like that. Haha, I'm glad you'd support my decision to write a Yu Yu Hakusho story, my friend and I are still working on character development. Right now, we're debating on making the OC Yusuke's younger twin sister, though I'm a _little_ iffy on doing that since I don't want her to seem Mary-Sue or anything like that. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**AmbrosiaMaestro: **Haha, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you like the Xiabug moments in this chapter!

**Cat of Flames: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Yeah, that's pretty much it. The first comic in the trilogy is supposed to come out tomorrow and the second comes out in July. Not sure when the third one comes out though. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Break This Spell666: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope this chapter and the upcoming chapters meet your expectations!

**LadyAmazon: **Thank you for the birthday wishes! The Yu Yu Hakusho fic is still in the developmental phase, so I'm not sure when it will be posted, but I can tell you that my friend and I are thinking about making the OC Yusuke's twin sister, that way she can be inserted into the show a little easier. What do you think? If you wrote a Yusuke/OC story I would totally read it, he's my third favorite character, (Hiei and Jin are tied for first and Youko is my second favorite, Kurama is my fifth though). Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**MidnigthWolf191: **That's okay, though I look forward to reading your reviews when you become ungrounded. :)  
Anyhooties, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one too!

**LEbony02: **Haha, yup! I really could make Xia leave Iroh when he was hurt, especially with how nice he was to her when Zuko was holding her captive in the beginning chapters. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Anon Guest: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you liked this chapter too!

**READandWRITE11: **Aw, thank you! I'm so glad you like the story and Xia. My ego has totally gotten bigger. I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: **I'm glad you liked the ending of the last chapter, it was fun to write! Haha, huzzah for Zukia interactions! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Russia Fey: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Heehee, I'm already outlining what I want to happen in the Ember Island Players episode, I can tell you know that it's gonna be hilarious. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Becky: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, Xia in big sister mode is so much fun to write, especially when she's scolding the others or when she's shouting. Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph really don't have much choice but to listen when she's irritated with them. I'm glad you liked the big-sister/little-sister relationship between Toph and Xia, I always thought Toph needed someone to be an older sibling figure in the show, since Katara was more like the somewhat annoying cousin. Anyhooties, I hope you liked the Zukia development near the end of this chapter!

**KingdomHeartsFreak99: **I hope you liked this chapter!

**Forevermore21: **I'm glad you like the story and Xia so much! I hope you liked this chapter!

**noName: **Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Kyoki no Megami: **Haha, I try to update this story every two-three days, unless I get too busy to update, like this time. And to answer your question, there will be some romantic Mai/Zuko interactions in season 3 and there's gonna be a reason for them that will be explained in later chapters. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**88dragon06: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, Xia yelling at Aang, Katara, and Toph was one of my favorite parts of the chapter. The ending though was probably my favorite-favorite part of the chapter, I'm glad you liked it too. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Dangerous Cheeseball: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Yeah, all of my romance stories generally take a while for the 'romantically intended characters to actually _get_ romantically involved. I'm happy to say my story ismost _definitely _not like those stories you mentioned, other than the fact that Xia is Aang's sister in a sense. Haha, my ego just go bigger, it totally made my day when I read that you think my story is one of the best Zuko/OC stories you've read. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Bridge on fire: **Aw, thanks, I'm glad you thought the fight scene in the last chapter was good, but honestly, I just wrote what I saw was happening, any kind of original fight scene I write tends to suck. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!


	31. Chapter 31: The Library

**AN: Chapter 31 takes place during Season 2 Episode 10: The Library. This is a more Aang-centric chapter with some original Xia/Zuko/Iroh parts in it. Various POVs as usual, so enjoy lovelies!**

* * *

"Again."

Xiaodan huffed in annoyance at Iroh's barked order and she glared over at him from her bent over position, her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Zuko stood several feet in front of her in a similar position, his own breathing coming in soft pants. Suddenly the scarred teenage boy straightened and thrusted his fist in Xiaodan's direction, shooting a fire blast at her. Xiaodan yelped and flattened her body against the ground, the fireball passing harmlessly over her.

"Hey!" The white-haired girl shouted angrily as she rolled into a crouch then outstretched her leg and twisted around on her hands, sending a blade of air at the banished prince.

Zuko jumped over the air blade only to be knocked onto his back when another air blast hit him in the chest as soon as his feet touched the ground again. He quickly rolled back to his feet and sent kicked another fire blast at Xiaodan, who nimbly dodged it by twirling to the side. The scarred prince continued sending more fire blasts at the white-haired Airbender, forcing her to go on the defensive as she twisted, twirled, and jumped to evade his attacks.

Iroh watched the two teens critically as they sparred, his darker gold eyes narrowed slightly as Zuko and Xiaodan seemed to dance around each other, either dodging fire blasts or air blades. He stroked his beard lightly and quirked a brow when he saw Xiaodan's molten eyes flash angrily after she had barely dodged a stream of fire his nephew had launched at her.

Xiaodan turned her head and stared wide-eyed at the tree that had been blackened by the stream of fire she had barely managed to dodge. Her eyes narrowed and she slowly turned her head to stare at Zuko, who was smirking cockily at her as he stood in a Firebending stance. Without thinking, the white-haired Airbender ran at Zuko, surprising him with her forward attack, though he was quick to recover and he began shooting fireballs at her from his fists, which she lithely dodged as she ran at him.

Xiaodan used Airbending to propel herself up into the air and somersaulted over the scarred prince, who spun around to face her. Xiaodan landed in a crouch just in time for the blast of fire Zuko had shot at her to fly over her head harmlessly. Without straightening from her crouch, Xiaodan pushed her hands against Zuko's stomach, sending him sprawling several feet away with a powerful air blast to his gut.

Zuko growled as he pushed himself to his feet and he prepared to attack the smug looking white-haired girl but his uncle stepped between them with his arms outstretched towards them.

"Enough." Iroh stated firmly, looking sternly first at his nephew then the female Airbender, "We'll end training is over for today and call it a draw."

"Finally!" Xiaodan exclaimed and allowed herself to collapse on her back then she raised head slightly to make a face at Iroh, "And I totally won that spar, Iroh."

Iroh chuckled lowly and shook his head in amusement as he set about preparing a pot of tea. Zuko scowled at his uncle then he crossed his arms and turned his scowl on the white-haired girl. Xiaodan merely smiled cheekily at him and let her head fall back onto the ground.

* * *

"What's out here?" Sokka asked in confusion as he stood with his sister and Toph and stared at Aang, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground.

"A lot actually." Toph replied as she kneeled and put her hand on the ground, "There's hundreds of little-"

"Shh!" Aang cut Toph off quickly as he turned to look at his three friends, "I know you can see underground but don't ruin the surprise. Just watch."

The young Avatar held the flute he was holding to his mouth and blew a single note, a second later a groundhog-like creature popped out of a hole in the ground and mimicked the note.

"Yeah!" Aang cheered with a laugh then played another note and another singing groundhog popped up and mimicked the note, "I'm putting an orchestra together!"

"An orchestra, huh?" Sokka asked sarcastically then waved his hands slightly, "Well, la-di-da…"

Three groundhogs suddenly popped out of different holes and sang three descending notes right after the other. Momo chittered and dove at one of the groundhogs just as all three of then disappeared into their holes again, the lemur following after them, only to pop out of a different hole.

Aang played four more notes, a groundhog mimicking each note right after he played it while Momo tried to catch any singing groundhogs that popped up, causing Katara to giggle with amusement. Aang played another note which was cut off abruptly when Sokka stomped over to him and plugged the flute with his finger.

"This is great and all, but don't we have more important things to worry about?" Sokka demanded in annoyance as he straightened while Aang moved the flute away from his mouth, "We should be making plans!"

"We _did_ make plans." Toph replied matter-of-factly as she stood beside Katara, "We're all picking mini-vacations."

"There's no time for vacations." Sokka snapped exasperatedly and Aang looked up at him with a small pout.

"I'm learning the elements as fast as I can." Aang whined slightly, "I practice hard every day with Toph and Katara. I've been training my arrow off!"

"Yeah," Katara piped in as she walked over to stand beside Aang, "What's wrong with having a little fun in our down time?"

"Even if you master all of the elements, then what? It's not like we have a map of the Fire Nation." Sokka grumbled then gestured to the side as he continued sarcastically, "Should we just head west until we reach the Fire Lord's house?"

He pretended to knock on an imaginary door, "Knock, knock. Hello, Fire Lord? Anybody home? I don't think so. We need some intelligence if we're going to win this war!"

Aang waited for Sokka to finish his rant then he played another note on the flute and a groundhog popped up underneath Sokka, mimicking the note before disappearing back into its hole when Momo tried to catch it. Katara giggled slightly and Aang Airbended himself to his feet.

"Alright," She conceded as she placed her hands on her hips, "We'll finish our vacations and then we'll look for Sokka's intelligence."

Aang laughed at her joke then went to get his map from Appa's saddle. After he had jumped back to the ground he opened the map and showed it to Katara.

"Your turn, Katara." Aang said with a grin as Katara leaned forward to get a better look at the map, "Where would you like to go on your mini-vacation?"

"How about the Misty Palms Oasis?" The dark-haired girl questioned as she pointed at the map, "That sounds refreshing."

"Oh, yeah, I've been there with Xia." Aang stated with a nod of his head as he looked at the spot on the map then back at Katara, "It's a pristine natural ice spring. And I usually don't use the word 'pristine.' It's one of nature's wonders."

* * *

Aang, Katara, and Sokka stared at what used to be the oasis with disappointed expressions while Toph gazed blankly forward, her expression just as disappointed with what she was able to sense.

"Must've changed ownership since Xia and I were here." Aang said with a sheepish laugh as he walked past the gates.

Sokka and Katara exchanging unamused looks before they along with Toph, followed the young Airbender. The sign hanging from the entrance suddenly fell down and shattered, causing the four to turn and look at it warily.

Aang cleared his throat awkwardly and continued walking further into the oasis, his friends following him. They walked past the small, remaining ice spring, where a dog was licking ice eagerly towards the bar where five men wrapped in cloth were standing. Aang, Toph, and Katara walked past the men and into the bar, but before Sokka could enter the establishment, one of the men spat at his feet. Sokka glared at the man angrily and the man gave a rasp groan and wiped his mouth with a slurp then he chuckled darkly at the Water Tribe boy. Katara exited the bar and grabbed her brother, pulling him into the building which was filled with weary travelers and shady characters.

"One mango, please." A man said to the bartender.

The bartender pulled two swords from his back and used them to slice a bowl from a chunk of ice on the counter then he cut some mangos from the fruit hanging above him then he began dicing them up. The four friends stared in surprise as he picked up the pulpy remains of the fruit and dropped it into the ice bowl then he used his swords to pick up a jug off the counter and pour the liquid into the ice bowl with the fruit pulp. The bartender tossed a bamboo straw into the bowl along with a decorative umbrella then he gave it to the man, who tossed a coin onto the counter.

"I don't see anything wrong with having one of those fruity beverages while we plan our strategy." Sokka stated with a grin then he pushed past his friends and ran up to the bar, "Excuse me."

Aang, Katara, and Toph followed him at a slower pace, the man from before turning around just as Aang reached them. The man accidently bumped into Aang, spilling his drink all over his front.

Aang looked down at his clothes then smiled up at the man, "No worries, I clean easy."

The man gasped when Aang Airbended the drink off his clothes.

"You're a living relic!" The man stated in awe as he looked at Aang with wide eyes.

"Thanks, I try." Aang replied with a shrug,

"An Air Nomad, right in front of me." The man stated with admiration as he cupped his chin then be bowed briefly Aang, "Professor Zei, head of anthropology at Ba Sing Se University."

Aang bowed to the man in returned then blinked in surprise when Zei grabbed his arm and began inspecting the arrow tattoo on his hand.

"Tell me, which of the air temples do you hail from?"

"The Southern Temple." Aang replied, giving Zei a strange look when the professor began measuring his head with a compass.

"Oh, splendid!" Zei exclaimed happily, "Now tell me-what was the primary agricultural product of your people?"

"Uh…" Aang said in confusion, "Are fruit pies an agricultural product?"

"Oh, truly fascinating." Zei muttered as he stepped away from Aang and pulled a journal from his pack, "That is one for the journal."

"So Professor," Sokka addressed Zei as he wrote in his journal, "You're obviously a well-traveled guy. Do you have a more current map? Ours seems to be a little dated."

"Certainly." Zei replied and he rummaged in his pack for a moment then he handed a rolled up scroll to Sokka.

Sokka walked over to a vacant table and unrolled it while Aang, Katara, and Zei stood around him with Toph sitting down across from him, her feet propped up on the table and her drink in hand.

"What, no Fire Nation?" Sokka asked in exasperation as he stared at the map, "Doesn't anybody have a good map of that place?"

Katara furrowed her brow slightly as she examined the map over her brother's arm, "You've made a lot of trips into the desert."

"All in vain, I'm afraid." Zei replied with a sigh, "I've found lost civilizations all over the Earth Kingdom, but I haven't managed to find the crown jewel, Wan Shi Tong's library."

"You spent years walking through a desert to find some guy's library?" Toph asked in disbelief as she shifted slightly in her chair.

"This library is more valuable than gold, little lady." Zei chided lightly, causing Toph to not –so subtly roll her eyes, "It is said to contain a vast collection of knowledge, and knowledge is priceless."

"Hmm… sounds like good times." Toph muttered sarcastically and took a sip of her drink.

"Oh, it is." Zei responded, oblivious to the blind girl's sarcasm, "According to the legend, it was built by the great Knowledge Spirit, Wan Shi Tong, with the help of his foxy knowledge seekers."

"Oh, so this spirit has attractive assistants, huh?" Sokka asked interestedly, a sly smirk on his face.

Katara put her hand on her brother's face and pushed his head slightly to keep him from talking any more.

"I think he means they look like actual foxes, Sokka." The dark-haired girl stated drily as she stared sternly at her brother.

"You're both right. Handsome little creatures." Zei said with a happy expression then he pulled out a scroll with a drawing of the library on it and he put it on the table, "Wan Shi Tong and his knowledge seekers collected books from all over the world, and put them on display for mankind to read, so that we may better ourselves."

Sokka looked at the drawing then addressed the professor, "If this place has books from all over the world, so you think they've got info on the Fire Nation? A map, maybe?"

"I wouldn't know." Zei responded with vague sadness in his tone, "But if such a thing exists, it's in Wan Shi Tong's library."

"Then it's settled. Aang, I do believe it's my turn. I'd like to spend my vacation…" Sokka said then he pointed at the ceiling and his tone became dramatic, "at the library!"

"Uh, hey, what about me?" Toph demanded from her seat, "When do I get to pick?"

"You gotta work here a little longer before you qualify for vacation time." Sokka replied matter-of-factly as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Hmph!" Toph scoffed in annoyance and slammed her drink on the table then crossed her arms.

"Of course, there's the matter of finding it." Zei mused as he rubbed his chin slightly, "I've made several trips into the Si Wong Desert and almost died each time. I'm afraid that desert's impossible to cross."

Sokka frowned slightly then his expression brightened as he got an idea.

"Professor, would you like to see our sky bison?"

"A sky bison?!" Zei exclaimed in shock and excitement, "You actually have one?"

Sokka nodded then led the group outside where Appa was recoiling from four of the men wrapped in cloth, growling lowly at them.

"Sandbenders, shoo!" Zei barked as he ran towards the four men and waved his arms at them, "Away from the bison!"

The four Sandbenders hurried away and got into two sand-sailers, driving them away by creating a small tornado of sand near the sail, leaving Zei and the four teens alone with the calmed sky bison.

* * *

Katara and Toph leaned against opposite sides of the saddle as Appa flew across the sky over the desert while Sokka sat near the front of the saddle, tying his shirt around his head before grabbed a telescope and looking over the side of the saddle with it. Aang sat on with Professor Zei and Momo on Appa's head, the young Airbender holding the reins as he peered around curiously. Zei suddenly crawled forward slightly and leaned over Appa's head to stare down at the sky bison's face.

"Tell me, sky bison, are you the last of your breed?" Zei asked curiously and Appa growled in response, prompting Zei to reply enthusiastically, "Delightful! I only wish I spoke his head."

"Oh, the stories this beast could tell." The professor commented as he scratched Appa's head as Momo crawled up to his side and started chittering at him, "Shush, chatty monkey."

Momo gave an annoyed chitter and shuffled back over to Aang, who was examining the picture of the massive library.

"Wow," The young Avatar muttered, "Shouldn't be too hard to find a place like this out here."

Appa continued flying over the desert, the sun beating down on the five and Zei moved to sit in the saddle with Katara, Sokka, and Toph.

"Does this place even exist?" Toph asked with a frustrated groan as she slumped against the saddle edge.

"Some say it doesn't." Zei replied cheerily.

Toph's blind eyes widened in surprise then narrowed in irritation.

"Shouldn't you have mentioned that before?" She demanded then collapsed on the saddle, her feet hanging over the side.

What felt like hours later, Appa was still soaring across the sky and the five had gradually become more discouraged. Zei was writing in his journal while Sokka, Katara, and Aang were looking for the library and Toph leaned against the side of the saddle.

"There it is!" Toph shouted suddenly and pointed in a random direction , causing the other four to look in the direction she was pointing.

They're faces fell when all they saw was sand dunes and they all turned to look at Toph with annoyed expressions on their faces.

"That's what it will sound like when one of you spots it." Toph quipped drily and waved her hand in front of her face, a sarcastic grin on her face.

Appa continued flying while Sokka and Katara returned to spots at the front of Appa's saddle, searching for the library on either side while Aang directed Appa with Momo sleeping on his head.

"It shouldn't be this hard to spot a giant, ornate building from the air." Katara said exasperatedly as she shaded her eyes with her hand.

Sokka glanced at her then looked through his telescope, spotting a down in the distance.

"Down there," He called out as he pointed in the direction of the tower, "What's that?"

Momo jerked away with a chatter when Aang moved his head to look in the direction Sokka was pointing, his hand coming up to shade his eyes from the sun. When Aang spotted the tower, he quickly directed Appa down towards it. Appa circled the tower a few time before landed on the ground, sending up a small cloud of sand around his feet. The five quickly jumped from Appa's back and head and walked closer to the tower.

"Forget it." Katara said with a sigh as she held up the picture of the library and looked up at the tower, "It's obviously not what we're looking for. The building in this drawing is enormous."

A sudden sparkle in the distant catches the group's attention and they all stared in surprise as a foxlike creature holding a scroll in its mouth walked over a dune then ran towards the tower.

"What kind of animal is that?" Sokka questioned curiously as the fox-creature ran up the tower and crawled through a window at the top of the tower.

"I think that was one of the Knowledge Seekers." Zei said in awe as he looked up at the window where the fox-creature had disappeared in, "Oh, we must be close to the library!"

Sokka furrowed his brow and peered at the picture Katara was holding then he looked back at the tower.

"No, this _is_ the library-look!" He said as pointed at the tower in the picture then at the tower in front of them, "It's completely buried.

"The library is buried?" Zei cried out dramatically as he ran forward, waving his hands around wildly then he collapsed to his knees, "My life's ambition is now full of sand."

The four teens watched as he suddenly perked up and pulled a small shovel out of his robes.

"Well, time to start excavating."

Toph rolled her eyes and walked towards the tower then she slammed her hand against it.

"Actually, that won't be necessary." The blind Earthbender commented idly, "The inside seems ot be completely intact. And it's huge."

"That foxy thing went in through the window." Sokka said as he cupped his chin and looked up at the windows at the top of the tower, "I say we climb up there and give it a look."

"I say you guys go ahead without me." Toph replied and Katara put her hands on her hips.

"You got something against libraries?"

"I've held books before." Toph responded with a bored shrug, "And I gotta tell you, they don't exactly do it for me."

"Oh, right." Katara said sheepishly when she was reminded that Toph was blind, "Sorry."

Toph smiled good-naturedly at her then gestured towards her ear, "Let me know if they have something you can listen to."

* * *

Xiaodan closed her eyes and evened out her breathing as she attempted to mediate, something she was finding surprisingly difficult at the moment. She just couldn't seem to empty her mind, her thoughts racing around what had transpired between her and Zuko a few days ago, atop the hill during the storm. Xiaodan had no idea what had possessed her to hug him, other than the fact that he looked so broken and sorrowful in that moment that she just _had_ to comfort him. The utterly defeated look hadn't belonged on his usually proud, scowling face. Both had silently decided not to speak of that incident again.

Huffing to herself in annoyed manner, Xiaodan let herself flop backwards onto the ground, temporarily giving up on trying to meditate and she just let her thoughts wander as they pleased. She closed her eyes and wondered what her brother and friends were doing right now, if Aang had begun learning how to Earthbend, how was his teaching coming along, were Toph and Katara getting along, her thoughts about her friends seemed endless as they flitted about her mind. Suddenly her thoughts veered in a completely different direction and she began thinking about the vision she had in the Foggy Swamp and why Zuko had appeared in her vision.

"I thought you were meditating."

Xiaodan cracked her eyes open and gave an exasperated groan when she saw the object of her current musings standing above her with his arms crossed over his chest as he vaguely glared down at her.

"I am meditating and you're distracting me. Go away." The white-haired girl retorted then closed her eyes, "Ohm."

Zuko quirked a brow and stared down at the girl strangely as she continued to pretend to meditate. His brow rose higher when she opened one of her eyes again, his expression silently asking if she was stupid or something. She opened her other eye and sat up with a sigh, folding her hands demurely in her lap.

"Did you actually need something, Firebug, or are you just gonna stare at me?"

The banished prince scoffed and looked off to the side, ignoring the heat he could feel creeping along his cheeks as he crossed his arms even tighter across his chest. He had wanted to ask the girl why she had comforted him that day he had tried to get lightning to strike him, but his pride prevented him from doing so and he quickly said the first thing that came to mind.

"Uncle sent me to tell you that the tea is ready."

"Oh, well why didn't you just say so?" Xiaodan exclaimed as she Airbended herself to her feet and strolled in the direction of the camp they had made earlier.

Zuko rolled his eyes upward, as if asking the universe why he had to deal with the strange female Airbender before he let his arms fall to his sides and he followed her back to the camp where his uncle was waiting for them. He just hoped she didn't realize his uncle _hadn't_ sent him to get her.

* * *

Sokka finished tying the rope to his boomerang then he tossed the weapon into the window, giving it a quick tug to make sure it would hold then he began scaling the side of the tower.

Aang watched Sokka scale the tower, followed by Katara and Professor Zei then he turned towards Appa.

"Don't worry, buddy, I'm not making you go underground every again. You can stay out here with Toph."

Aang patted his nose once then walked over to the tower to follow his friends and the professor. Appa gave a low, rumbling growl and Toph turned her head towards him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"What's up?" The blind girl asked awkwardly.

* * *

"Oh, it's breathtaking!" Professor Zei gasped as he looked around the vast library as he and the three teens climbed down the rope while Momo flew down, "The spirit spared no expense in designing this place. Look at those beautiful buttresses!"

Sokka and Aang giggled, causing Zei to look at them in confused curiosity.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing." Aang replied quickly as he tried to smother his grin, "We just like architecture."

"As do I." Zei said obliviously as he reached the bottom of the robe and stood on a bridge, the three teens following him a moment later while Momo landed on Aang's shoulder.

"My word!" The professor gasped as he pushed his hat back and examined an owl mosaic above two pillars, "The exquisite mosaic handiwork of this tile-rendered avian symbol…"

He trailed off when he caught the quizzical looks Sokka, Katara, and Aang were giving him and he chuckled nervously then pointed towards the mosaic.

"Eh, nice bird?"

A sudden rustling noise came from behind them, causing Sokka and Katara to run behind a pillar while Aang grabbed the professor and dragged him behind the pillar opposite the two siblings. The rustling continued and Aang craned his neck so he could peer around the pillar, his eyes widening slightly when he saw a massive black owl standing on the bridge, examining the rope they had used to get into the buried library. The owl spirit turned around, revealing white spots that looked like eyes on the back of his head, which suddenly turned nearly all the way around.

"I know you're back there…" The owl spirit commented coolly.

Aang gasped quietly and ducked his head back behind the pillar, pressing his body against the column firmly. The professor suddenly smiled and walked out from behind the pillar, Aang lifting his hand to grab him but Zei had already moved back onto the bridge.

"Hello, I'm Professor Zei, head of anthropology at Ba Sing Se University." The professor introduced himself as he approached the Wan Shi Tong.

"You should leave the way you came." Wan Shi Tong stated coldly then glanced to the side where three stuffed animal heads were hanging on another pillar, "Unless you want to become a _stuffed_ head of anthropology."

The professor gulped and rubbed at his neck nervously as he stared at the stuffed head. Katara, Sokka, and Aang walked out from behind the pillars they had been hiding behind and headed towards the owl spirit and Professor Zei.

"Are you the spirit who brought this library to the physical world?" Sokka asked quickly.

"Indeed, I am Wan Shi Tong, 'He Who Knows Ten Thousand Things.'" The owl spirit drawled emotionlessly, "And you are obviously humans, which, by the way are no longer permitted in my study."

"What do you have against humans?" Aang questioned curiously, his head tilted to the side slightly in confusion.

"Hm! Humans only bother to learn things to get the edge on other humans." Wan Shi Tong rumbled in annoyance as his thoughts drifted to another man that had come into his library many years ago, "Like that Firebender who came to this place a few years ago, looking to destroy his enemy."

"So…" The owl spirit all but hisses as he leaned towards Sokka, who had started sweating slightly, "Who are you trying to destroy?"

"What?" Sokka squeaked, gulping as he stared nervously at his reflection in the owl spirit's solid black eyes, "No-no-no-no destroying. We're not into that."

Wan Shi Tong blinked slowly, "Then why have you come here?"

"Um…" Sokka faltered then smiled apprehensively as the owl spirit leaned closer to him, "Knowledge for knowledge's sake?"

"If you're going to lie to an all-knowing spirit being, you should at least put some effort into it…"

"I'm not lying," Sokka protested then grabbed Aang and pushed him towards Wan Shi Tong, "I'm with the Avatar and he's the bridge between our worlds. He'll vouch for me."

"Ow!" Aang grunted quietly when Sokka nudged him in the ribs with his elbow then he looked up at the owl spirit, "Uh, yeah, I'll vouch. We will not abuse the knowledge in your library, good spirit. You have my word."

The four bowed to the knowledge spirit, who stared at them emotionlessly for a moment before speaking.

"Hmm… very well. I'll let you peruse my vast collection on one condition," Wan Shi Tong conceded, watching as their hopeful expressions became slightly worried, "To prove your worth as scholars, you have to contribute some worthwhile knowledge."

Professor Zei walked forward and kneeled before the owl spirit, holding out a book, "Please accept this tome as a donation to your library."

"First edition, very nice." Wan Shi Tong commented then swiped the book from the professor's hands with his wing.

"I have an authentic Waterbending scroll." Katara stated, holding out the unrolled scroll for the spirit's inspection.

"Ooh, these illustrations are quite stylish." He said then grabbed the scroll with his wing, Katara smiling slightly as she backed away.

"Uh…oh, I know!" Aang stammered then his expression brightened and he began rummaging around his shirt until he pulled out his wanted poster then he showed the owl spirit, "Hah!"

If he had eyebrows, Wan Shi Tong would have raised them as he took the wanted poster, "I suppose that counts."

"Oh, great spirit," Sokka said dramatically as he walked forward, a piece of string in his hand, "Check this out!"

The Water Tribe boy quickly tied the string into a butterfly knot then presented it to the owl spirit.

"Ta-da!" Sokka exclaimed proudly and Wan Shi Tong looked at him in silence, "It's a special knot. That counts as knowledge!"

"You're not very bright, are you?" The owl spirit asked rhetorically then swiped the knot from Sokka's hand, "Enjoy the library."

Sokka scowled angrily as the owl jumped off the bridge and flew down to the lower levels of the library then the young warrior turned and followed his sister, Aang, and the professor towards the rows of books.

"Bright enough to fool you." Sokka muttered with narrowed eyes.

* * *

Toph sat cross-legged beside Appa in the shade of the tower, her elbow resting on her knee while she cupped her chin.

"So…you like…flying?" Toph asked the bison awkwardly and Appa purred deeply then scratched his ear.

"Of course, I'm more comfortable on the ground where I can see. Well, I don't _see_ the way you do. I feel the vibrations in the ground with my feet." Toph continued idly then she picked up a handful of sand and let it fall through her fingers, "But this sand is so loose and shifty, it makes every look fuzzy."

Appa gave a rumbling groan in response.

"Not that there's anything wrong with fuzzy." Toph said hurriedly and the sky bison grunted once in reply.

* * *

Aang leaned against one of the many bookshelves in the library, watching in awe as a Knowledge Seeker deposited a scroll on the shelf he was leaning against then he turned back to the book in his hands while Sokka, Katara, and Professor Zei browsed the bookshelves around him. The young Airbender flipped the page of his book and he grinned.

"Hey, look at these weird lion turtles." Aang called out as he held up the book to show Sokka and Katara the illustration of a man talking to a lion-turtle with two other lion-turtles in the background.

"Eh, I've seen weirder." Sokka said dismissively as he pulled a book off the shelf and stuck it in his bag after looking at it for a moment.

"Aang," Katara stated as she walked over to the Airbender, holding a book in her hands, "Did you know in a past life, you were left-handed?"

Aang grinned and rubbed the back of his head, "I always knew I was special."

Sokka rolled his eyes slightly and peered up at the massive bookshelves on either side of him, walking past Professor Zei, who was adding books to the large stack already in his arms. The Water Tribe boy took a scroll from one of the shelves and opened it slightly then placed it in his bag with a grin. Sokka's brows furrowed curiously when he caught sight of a podium standing near the back of row of bookshelves and he walked over to it curiously.

"'The darkest day in Fire Nation history.'" He muttered aloud as he read the burnt piece of parchment framed on the podium, "It's got a date at the top, but it doesn't say anything else."

Sokka looked around quickly then unsheathed his machete and pried open the frame with it, taking the parchment from it. He looked it over one more time then quickly rolled it up and turned around just as Aang, Katara, and Professor Zei walked out from between two bookshelves.

"Sokka, where are you going?" Aang asked curiously as Sokka ran down a section of the library.

"I want to know what happened to the Fire Nation on their darkest day. This could be promising." Sokka replied as he continued running through the library, the other three following him.

"The information on the Fire Nation should be right up here." Sokka stated as the four walked down towards an open door with the symbol for right above it.

The four entered the room and stared in shock and horror at the massive pile of ashes.

"Firebenders." Aang said softly.

"They destroyed everything having to do with the Fire Nation." Katara murmured in shock as she looked at all the ashes.

"That's so unfair! Just when I think I'm one step ahead of the Fire Nation, it turns out they beat us here a long time ago." Sokka shouted angrily as he stepped further into the ash-filled room then collapsed to his knees, "I need to know what happened on the darkest day."

A sudden whimpering caused the four to turn around and look at the entrance, where a Knowledge Seeker was standing on its hind legs.

"Hello, weird little fox guy." Sokka said warily as they approached the spirit creature.

The Knowledge Seeker dropped down onto all fours and turned around, pointing outside the room with its nose.

"Seems it's trying to assist you." Professor Zei observed curiously.

"Um, sure, I guess I'll follow you." Sokka muttered and began following the fox creature, Aang, Katara, and the professor trailing after them.

The Knowledge Seeker led the foursome towards a large round down with a texture lining the bottom sides of the wall. The spirit creature disappeared into a small door in the texture and the large, round door suddenly slid open, revealing the Knowledge Seeker standing behind it. Aang, Katara, and Sokka glanced at each other briefly then entered the room with Professor Zei. The four walked towards calendar wheel in the center of the room and the Knowledge Seeker pushed a lever beside the calendar wheel, causing the domed ceiling to suddenly change from day to night.

"This room is a true marvel, a mechanical wonder!" Professor Zei gasped as he looked up at the domed ceiling where stars were glowing faintly, "It's a planetarium that shows the heavens moving!"

The domed ceiling changed back to day, lighting up the room as a moving metal beam with an image of the sun passed across the blue of the sky.

"Uh, this is beautiful, but how is it helpful?" Sokka asked aloud as he scratched his head in confusion.

"Maybe these dials represent dates and times." Katara suggested as she looked at the calendar wheel, "Sokka, try entering that date from that parchment you took."

"Shh, Katara!" Sokka stage-whispered at his sister and he glance at the Knowledge Seeker, "Not in front of the fox, he's with the owl."

The Knowledge Seeker whimpered sadly and ducked its head while Sokka tried to surreptitiously glance at the burnt parchment then he began changing the four wheels of the calendar to the right date then he pushed the lever. The domed ceiling changed from day to night again.

"Wow, I got to hand it to you, Sokka." Aang commented as he looked up at the planetarium in awe, "You picked the best mini-vacation for sure."

The ceiling continued to change, shifting from night to day and suddenly the planetarium went dark.

"Hey, wait." Katara said in confusion, "What happened to the sun?"

Aang narrowed his eyes and glanced at Sokka, "Great, you must have broken it."

"It's not broken." Sokka stated as he walked up beside Aang and looked at the moon piece of the planetarium was covering the sun piece, "The sun is behind the moon. It's a solar eclipse! It's literally the darkest day in Fire Nation history! Now I get it!"

Sokka grabbed Aang by the shoulders and shook him, "Something awful happened on that day. I don't know what, but I do know why. Firebenders lose their bending during a solar eclipse!"

The Water Tribe boy suddenly pushed Aang back, causing him to stumble slightly.

"Sorry." Sokka apologized sheepishly and Aang just waved his hand dismissively.

"That makes sense." Katara commented as she walked up to her brother and Aang, "I mean, think of what the lunar eclipse at the North Pole did to the Waterbenders. This is huge!"

The Knowledge Seeker suddenly got on its hind legs and whimpered pleadingly at Sokka.

"Fine, you've earned it." Sokka said with a grin as he tossed the fox a strip of dried meat from his bag and the fox caught it eagerly in its mouth then trotted away.

"We've gotta get this information to the Earth King at Ba Sing Se." Sokka continued, addressing Katara and Aang, "We'll wait for the next eclipse, then we'll invade the Fire Nation when they're totally helpless. The Fire Lord is going down!"

"Mortals are so predictable, and such terrible liars."

Sokka gulped and turned around slowly, his eyes widening when he saw Wan Shi Tong standing in the entrance to the planetarium.

"You betrayed my trust." Wan Shi Tong all but growled, "From the beginning, you intended to misuse this knowledge for evil purposes."

"You don't understand." Sokka protested desperately as he tried to explain to the angry spirit, "If anyone's evil, it's the Fire Nation. You saw what they did to your library. They're destructive and dangerous. We need this information."

"You think you're the first person to believe their war was justified?" The owl spirit demanded harshly, "Countless others before you have come here seeking weapons or weaknesses or battle strategies."

"We had no choice." Aang pleaded with the spirit to understand, "Please, we're just desperate to protect the people we love!"

"And now I'm going to protect what _I_ love." Wan Shi Tong snapped and began to violently flap his wings.

"What are you doing?" Aang asked panicked as the room began to shake violently.

"I'm taking my knowledge back." The knowledge spirit responded coldly, "No one will ever abuse it again."

"He's sinking the building!" Katara gasped as sand began pouring from the ceiling, "We've gotta get out of here!"

"I'm afraid I can't allow that." Wan Shi Tong stated, not sounding regretfully at all as his neck lengthened dramatically, "You already know too much."

The owl spirit suddenly pecked at them but the four managed to scramble away just in time to avoid the blow and they quickly ran from the room, heading towards the rope that would help them escape. Wan Shi Tong pursued the four as they ran out of the planetarium, his elongated neck stretching towards them.

* * *

Appa lifted his head and snarled when he saw the tower was sinking further into the sand.

"I already _told_ you, I don't want to snuggle." Toph said in exasperation then yelped when Appa stood and hurried towards the tower, causing her to fall onto her back, "Library's sinking."

Her eyes widening and she ran towards the sinking tower, "Library's sinking!"

Toph punched both fists into the wall of the tower to stop of from sinking further, but her feet slipped in the sand and she paused briefly to solidify it.

"Hi-yah!" The blind Earthbender grunted as she punched her fist into the tower wall again, struggling to stop it from sinking any further.

* * *

Katara, Sokka, Aang with Momo on his shoulder, and Zei ran through the library, rounding a corner sharply while Wan Shi Tong continued his aggressive pursuit, his wings destroying the bookshelves he flew past.

Professor Zei suddenly stopped running and turned to face the angry spirit, his voice pleading, "Great Knowledge Spirit, I beg you, do not destroy your vast collection of priceless tomes!"

Wan Shi ignored him and flew straight at him. Aang stopped and spun around, using Airbending to create move the professor out of Wan Shi Tong's attack and over to where Katara and Sokka were standing then Aang quickly fired an air blast at the owl spirit, knocking him off the side of the bridge they were standing on.

"We've gotta get back to the surface!" Aang exclaimed as he ran back to Katara, Sokka, and Professor Zei and the three began running down an aisle, while Sokka remained where he was.

Katara stopped and looked at her brother urgently, "Sokka, let's go!"

"But we still don't know when the next eclipse is gonna happen!"

"Don't be stupid!" Katara snapped at her brother, "We'll find out later."

"No, we won't." Sokka stated firmly, "If we leave this place, we'll never get the information. Aang, come with me to the planetarium, I need cover."

Aang ran up to him and Sokka handed Katara Momo.

"Katara, take Momo and get out of here." The Water Tribe boy ordered then he and Aang turned to run back to the planetarium.

"But…!" Katara started to protest but Wan Shi Tong suddenly broke in between the two groups.

"Go!" Sokka shouted urgently and Katara and Zei began running as Wan Shi Tong pursued them.

"Hurry Sokka!" Katara yelled over her shoulder as she ran away from the furious owl spirit.

Aang and Sokka watched worriedly as Katara with Momo run away from Wan Shi Tong then the two boys quickly ran back in the direction of the planetarium.

* * *

Professor Zei ran after the young Water Tribe girl then dove between two bookshelves, the angry owl spirit flying past him and after Katara. The professor lifted his head and his eyes brightened with excitement as he pulled a book from one of the shelves and looked at the cover excitedly.

Meanwhile, Katara ran between the shelves then she glanced over her shoulder when Momo chittered a warning in her ear, her eyes widening when she saw Wan Shi Tong swooping towards her.

* * *

Appa grunted nervously as Toph continued to struggle with holding the library up.

"What is it now?" The blind Earthbender asked through clenched teeth as she turned her head to look over her shoulder.

Suddenly, three sand-sailers were racing towards them and Appa roared angrily when he was suddenly struck by a blast of sand.

"Who's there?" Toph demanded angrily as her eyes narrowed.

Appa growled lowly as the sand-sailers began to circle around him and one of the Sandbenders jumped off one of the sailers then headed towards Appa.

* * *

"Why are we doing this?" Aang asked as he followed Sokka into the planetarium.

"Because if this calendar can tell us about eclipses in the past, then maybe it can project when the next one will be." Sokka replied as he stopped in front of the calendar wheel.

"You can't possibly check every single date!" Aang stated in exasperation as he moved to stand by the lever.

"I don't have to." Sokka said as he began adjusting the calendar wheel, "We just need to check every date before Sozin's Comet arrives. Because after that-well, try not to think about that."

Sokka finished adjusting the wheels and Aang pushed the lever, causing the dome ceiling to begin to change. Sokka changed the date on the wheel again and Aang pushed the lever, the dome changing again but not landing on the eclipse. The two continued to change the date and push the lever, hoping each time that it would land on the solar eclipse.

"C'mon, eclipse!" Aang said urgently as he pushed the lever again and the moon and sun began traveling across the domed ceiling until the moon overlapped the sun and came to a stop.

"That's it! The solar eclipse! It's just a few months away." Sokka said ecstatically and he quickly took out a piece of paper and wrote down the date then he shoved it back into his bag, "Got it. Now, let's get to Ba Sing Se!"

The two boys ran out of the planetarium hurriedly, hoping that they were either meet Katara on the way to the rope or that she was already there.

* * *

Appa roared loudly as the Sandbenders surrounded him and began tossing weighted ropes over his body. The bison roared again and reared onto his back legs, causing the Sandbenders to solidify the sand around their feet in order to bring Appa down.

"Don't make me put this down!" Toph screamed then she let the sinking library go and Earthbended a slice of sand at the Sandbenders, but missed because she couldn't 'see' them and she quickly turned back around, slamming her fists into the tower wall again.

Appa growled as his legs were knocked out from under him and he was tied up more firmly by the Sandbenders then they began dragging him away from Toph.

"No! Stop sinking!" Toph shouted at the sinking building then she spun around and Earthbended three more slices of sands at the already leaving Sandbenders.

"No!" Toph shouted and grabbed the library again, bowing her head and closing her eyes sadly, "I'm sorry, Appa."

Appa groaned quietly and let his own eyes slide partially shut as the Sandbenders dragged him away.

* * *

Katara panted quickly as she ducked beside a bookshelf and clutched Momo to her chest while Wan Shi Tong walked on the other side of the book shelf. The knowledge spirit's eyes suddenly narrowed in on the lemur's striped tail peeking out from behind the bookshelf.

"At least I'll have one specimen to add to my collection." Wan Shi Tong commented as he lunged forward and tried to grab Momo with his beak, but Katara managed to run away with Momo clutched in her arms.

The dark-haired Waterbender panted as ran across the bridge towards the rope then she spun around to face Wan Shi Tong once she reached the rope, shifting into a bending stance with Momo perched fearfully on her shoulder.

"You're Waterbending won't do you much good here." Wan Shi Tong stated as he unfurled his wings to attack, "I've studied Northern water style, Southern water style, even Foggy Swamp style."

Aang suddenly flew over the owl spirit on his glider with Sokka holding onto him. Sokka let for with a yell, holding a book high above his head, which he slammed onto Wan Shi Tong's head, knocking him unconscious.

"That's called Sokka style." Sokka crowed with a laugh, "Learn it!"

Katara and Sokka quickly climbed over the unconscious spirit's neck and they began climbing up the rope while Aang flew around them on his glider.

"Wait!" Sokka shouted suddenly when he realized they were missing someone, "Professor, let's go!"

"I'm not leaving." Professor Zei said as he sat among a pile of books, a scroll in his hands, "I can't. I've spent too long trying to find this place. There's not another collection of knowledge like this one earth. I could spend an eternity in here."

"Just go!" Katara shouted at her brother just as Wan Shi Tong came too.

The angry owl spirit screeched and grabbed the rope with his beak, shaking it roughly and causing Katara and Sokka to fall off it. Aang gave a wordless shout as he swooped down and caught them then he flew up towards the opening, Wan Shi Tong hot on their trail.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka flew out of the tower window, the Water Tribe siblings landing roughly on the sand while Aang landed nimbly in a crouch. Toph grunted once and released the library, falling onto her backside as the tower was sucked into the ground with a loud explosion of sand, leaving a crater where it used to be.

"We got it. There's a solar eclipse coming." Sokka said excitedly as he embraced his sister tightly, "The Fire Nation's in trouble now!"

Aang stood slowly and looked around, his brow furrowing in confusion. He turned his head and took a few steps towards Toph, who was sitting on the ground with her knees pulled up to her chest and her face in hands.

"Where's Appa?" Aang asked worriedly.

Toph made a sorrowful sad and shook her head, her eyes closing tightly. Aang gasped and his eyes went wide, a tear falling down his cheek when he realized that Appa was gone.

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay, I know there's not A LOT of Zukia in this chapter, but I hope there's enough to hold you guys over until the next chapter, where there will be more Zukia interactions. Next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 11: The Desert, which will be updated as soon as I can get it up, so stay tuned for that. Anyhooties, I hope you guys liked this chapter!**

**PS - Thought I would mention it now, but I am gonna be doing a chapter for the Episode Appa's Lost Days because it kinda plays a vital role in the whole season and, well, I like that episode, even though what Appa went through makes me sad every time I watch it.**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys rock!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Molly Grace 16: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I always thought it was sad he was up there by himself too, I actually planned on just having Xia seeing his small breakdown then leaving to give him privacy, but then I realized that leaving someone in pain was so not a Xia thing to do, and viola, she ends up comforting him. On the topic of Xia having her own chapter, what do you think about it happening right after the Crossroads of Destiny but before The Awakening, so her chapter would basically take place during the time Aang is in his coma. I was thinking about having it center around her reflecting on the past (before she was frozen and all the events that happened after she and Aang were unfrozen) along with how her relationship with Zuko is going to change after the Crossroads of Destiny, if that makes sense at all… If I do make my YYH OC Yusuke's sister, I think I'd only give then a similar appearance, y'know make them identical twins, except for the fact that they're different genders. Personality-wise I think the OC wouldn't be as aggressive or obnoxious as Yusuke, maybe a personality similar to Xia's, something that would be a good balance for Hiei's, er, scariness, if you will. Oh my god, I feel like you somehow managed to read my mind, having Yusuke's sister having a high enough spiritual awareness so she could see/speak to Yusuke while he was a ghost was one of the first ideas that popped into my head when my friend asked me to write her a Hiei/OC story. Seriously, I kinda wigged out when I read that part of your review. Anyhooties, longwinded reply coming to a close, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Me too, Iroh is one of my favorite male characters, he's so fun and kickass. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**LadyAmazon: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter, especially the ending. That part was one of my favorite parts to write, to be honest. I think Zuko really needed a hug in that part of the episode. Yeah, having my YYH OC be Yusuke's friend instead of his sister was my backup plan if I couldn't make the twin sister thing work. Haha, yeah, my friends that actually like YYH, think I'm weird for not having Kurama one of my top 3 favorites. I can't really help it though, he's too much of a pretty boy in his human form me for to actually like, (not that there's anything wrong with pretty boys, they're just not really my type). It's really weird that I like Youko more than Kurama when they are essentially the same person… Anyhooties, sorry about rambling, I do it all the time, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: **Haha, that's a good idea and I would totally use it, but how Xiaodan discovered her ability to Firebend was one of the first things I had planned out when I started this story. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**BookLover695: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter's ending. I hope you liked this chapter too!

**MidnightWolf191: **Yay! I'm glad you liked the ending of the last chapter, it seriously was my favorite part. Of course I'll read your story and I'll drop a review to tell you what I think. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Giggle-like-crazy: **I'm glad you like the story! I hope you liked this chapter too!  
(PS – your username made me giggle XD)

**Becky: **Aw, thanks! It's one of my favorite season 2 episodes, another is when Jet gets his butt handed to him by Zuko in Ba Sing Se, I CANNOT wait to write that chapter. I'm glad you liked the little moments the group mentioned Xia, it's kinda my way of showing that even though she's not with them, she's still on their minds. Granted the GAang didn't really mention her in this chapter, they will in the next one though! Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Izzyqueen12: **Haha, I hope you liked this chapter!

**88dragon06: **Awesome, I'm glad you liked the last chapter, I think the ending was seriously the best part of the whole chapter. It was kind of a big step in Zuko and Xia's burgeoning friendship/relationship-thingy. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Juffii: **I'm glad you like the story so far! I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Alanna of Stormhold: **Hope you liked this chapter!


	32. Chapter 32: The Desert

**AN: Oh my God, I'm so, so sorry for not updating in forever, my laptop decided to stop working the day after I posted the last chapter. I managed to convince my dad to let me use his laptop until mine is fixed, which is gonna take God-knows-how-long. Anyhooties, rambling aside, here's chapter 32 and it takes place during Season 2 Episode 11: The Desert. Various POVs in this chapter, so enjoy my lovelies!**

* * *

"How could you let them take Appa!?" Aang shouted angrily at Toph after he had looked in every direction for the bison, "Why didn't you stop them!?"

"I couldn't!" Toph exclaimed, her head still bowed with guilt, "The library was sinking! You guys were still inside and-"

"You could've come to get us." Aang cut her off furiously as he stomped towards the blind girl, "I could've saved him!"

"I can hardly feel any vibrations out here." Toph said, trying to explain herself, "The Sandbenders snuck up on me and there wasn't time for-:

"You just didn't care!" Aang cut her off again, his tone even harsher than before, "You never liked Appa! You wanted him gone!"

Aang glared furiously at Toph, who just stared at him blankly with a small frown on her face.

"Aang, stop it." Katara ordered gently as she approached the two and put her hand on Aang's shoulder, "You know Toph did all she could. She saved our lives."

"Who's gonna save our lives now?" Sokka asked blandly as he stared out at the endless sea of sand, his back to his sister and friends, "We'll never make it out of here."

Aang glared at him and stomped irately away from his friends, clenching his staff in a white-knuckled grip.

"That's all any of you guys care about, yourselves!" The young Airbender shouted at his friends as he sat down several feet away from them, "You don't care whether Appa is okay or not!"

"We're all concerned, but we can't afford to be fighting now." Katara stated calmly as she looked at Aang's back sympathetically.

"I'm going after Appa." Aang said in a cold, hard tone as he got to his feet and snapped his glider open then jumped into the air.

"Aang, wait!" Katara called out to him as she ran forward, but it was too late, Aang was already flying away.

Katara sighed quietly as she stared in the direction Aang had gone in, Sokka standing slightly behind her then she turned to look at her brother and Toph.

"We better start walking." The dark-haired Waterbender said with a sigh, "We're the only people who know about the solar eclipse. We have to get that information to Ba Sing Se."

Katara started walking in the direction Aang had gone in then Sokka followed behind her and Toph trailed after him, while Momo flew above them.

"Do you think if we dig out the giant owl, he'll give us a ride?" Sokka asked sardonically, causing Katara to sigh in exasperation.

* * *

Zuko and Iroh rode their stolen ostrich-horse down the dirt road while Xiaodan flew above them on her glider. Iroh gave an overly exaggerated moan of pain and clutched at his arm with every step the ostrich-horse took, effecting a pained expression on his face when his nephew looked back at him.

"Maybe we should make camp." Zuko suggested drily, quirking a brow at his uncle.

"No please, don't stop just for me!" Iroh said in a raspy voice and Zuko turned back around.

Iroh theatrically let out several more groans of pain and Zuko yanked the reins with an annoyed expression on his face. The two Firebenders dismounted and Iroh shuffled over to a flat rock with small groans of pain then he sat down.

"What happened?" Xiaodan asked curiously as she landed beside Iroh and snapped her glider shut, twirling it around for a moment before leaning against it.

Iroh opened his mouth to answer the white-haired girl when the ostrich-horse let out an alarmed noise and jerked its head around. Zuko spun around and shifted into a Firebender stance while Xiaodan took on an Airbender stance, her staff held defensively in front of her.

"What now?" Iroh muttered in annoyance as he glared slightly in the direction the ostrich-horse was looking at.

Suddenly five men on rhinos leapt out of the thicket on both sides of the road the trio had been traveling on, effectively surrounding them.

"Oh, not you guys again." Xiaodan quipped in exasperation when she recognized the five men as the ones that had attacked Chin Village all those weeks ago, her grip on her staff tightening in preparation.

Zuko glanced at her briefly then returned his attention to the five men, his defensive stance never faltering.

"Colonel Mongke!" Iroh exclaimed cheerfully as stood and put a hand on his nephew's shoulder, "What a pleasant surprise!"

"If you're surprised we're here, then the Dragon of the West has lost a few steps." Mongke stated coldly then he and the other men began readying their weapons for battle.

"You know these guys?" Zuko asked his uncle in surprise as he looked at each of the five men warily while Xiaodan shifted slightly, orange eyes narrowed as she tried to keep all of the men in her sights.

"Sure." Iroh said easily as he rubbed slightly at his still healing shoulder, "Colonel Mongke and the Rough Rhinos are legendary. Each one is a different weapon specialists…They are also a very capable singing group."

Xiaodan snorted in amusement and glanced at Iroh in disbelief, "Seriously?"

"We're not here to give a concert." Mongke snapped, preventing Iroh from answering the white-haired girl's question, "We're here to apprehend fugitives!"

"Would you like some tea first?" Iroh questioned slyly as he continued to rub his shoulder, "I'd love some. How about you, Kahchi? I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?"

Xiaodan and Zuko exchanged exasperated looks then returned their attention to their adversaries.

"Enough stalling!" Mongke snarled, "Round 'em up!"

A dark skinned man with a ponytail suddenly swung his bogo at Iroh, who managed to kick it away and cause it to wrap around Kahchi's rhino's leg. Iroh somersaulted forward when a flaming arrow and a blast of fire was shot at him then he struck the rear of Kahchi's rhino when he rose to his feet. The rhino reared back and dashed away, yanking the bogo-wielding Fire Nation warrior off his own rhino and dragging him away. Iroh smiled cheerfully and waved as he watched them go.

Xiaodan and Zuko stood side-by-side in their bending stances and both whirled around when they heard the distinct sound of an arrow being fired. Zuko reacted quickly and knocked the flaming arrow away then shot a concentrated blast of fire at the archer, burning a hole in the surprised archer's bow. Xiaodan smirked and swung her staff, sending the archer flying off his rhino with a crescent of air.

Zuko and Iroh stood slightly in front and on either side of their ostrich-horse while Xiaodan stood between them. Mongke suddenly joined the fight and began shooting fireballs at Iroh, who deflected each and every one of them with easy. While the Fire Nation colonel was busy, Zuko ran forward and jumped onto the rhino's back. Mongke turned around and his eyes widened, but before he could do anything, Zuko sent him flying with two spinning fire kicks.

Xiaodan snapped her glider open and leapt into the air while Iroh ran up to the ostrich-horse and jumped on, riding it towards Zuko, who was waiting for him on top of the Colonel Mongke's rhino. The white-haired Airbender flew in circles around them impatiently then flew off when Zuko jumped onto the ostrich-horse behind his uncle, the last Rough Rhino pursing them. The Rider threw a grenade at the fleeing trio and it exploded right in front of the ostrich-horse, but Zuko and Iroh rode through the explosion's smoke while Xiaodan flew through it.

"It's nice to see old friends." Iroh said with a grin as he and Zuko looked over their shoulders at the smoke.

"Too bad you don't have any old friends that don't want to attack you." Zuko commented drily, causing Xiaodan to laugh as she lowered her glider and flew alongside them.

"Wouldn't _that_ be nice!" She quipped with a snicker and Zuko rolled his eyes at her.

"Hmm…" Iroh mused thoughtfully with a wide-eyed expression as he rubbed his shoulder, "Old friends that don't want to attack me…"

Xiaodan laughed again and flew upward again, propelling herself faster with Airbending.

* * *

Katara, Sokka, and Toph wandered through the desert, exhausted and dehydrated. Sokka stopped briefly and took Momo off his back, putting the lemur on his head and opening his wings to create some shade. Unable to tell that he had stopped, Toph walked right into him, causing Momo to fall off Sokka's head.

"Can't you watch where you're…" Sokka started to snap in annoyance then stopped and his eyes widened when he realized who bumped into him.

"No." Toph retorted drily, her shoulder slumped tiredly.

"Right." Sokka said and he rubbed at his neck sheepishly, "Sorry."

Katara turned to face the other two with an encouraging expression on her flushed face, "C'mon guys, we've got to stick together."

"If I sweat anymore, I don't think sticking together will be a problem." Sokka quipped sarcastically when his sweaty clothes stuck to Toph's and he tried to free himself by pushing her away.

With an irritated expression, Toph put her hand on Sokka's face and pushed him to the ground, easily freeing them both.

"Katara, can I have some water?" The blind girl asked in a surprisingly meek tone as she ignored Sokka lying on the ground beside her.

"Okay," Katara agreed after a moment as she walked over to the younger girl and her brother, "But we've got to try to conserve it."

Toph nodded tiredly as Katara bended three small globules of water from her pouch and into Sokka's, Toph's, and Momo's mouths. Sokka swished the water in his mouth for a moment then swallowed.

"We're drinking your bending water." The Water Tribe boy stated as he pointed to his mouth then narrowed his eyes and smacked his lips before a disgusted expression appeared on his face, "You used this on the swamp guy! Urch!"

"It does taste swampy…" Toph commented as Sokka continued to gag exaggeratedly at her side while Momo smacked his lips and let out a sad cry of protest at the water's flavor.

"I'm sorry." Katara apologized in a sad tone, "It's all we have."

"Not anymore!" Sokka suddenly exclaimed excitedly as he pointed in front of him, "Look!"

Katara turned her head and stared at the cactus Sokka had pointed to, her brows furrowing when her brother rushed forward and cut off a piece with his machete.

"Sokka, wait!" Katara protested in a worried tone as Sokka happily drank the liquid inside the cactus with Momo, "You shouldn't be eating strange plants!"

The dark-haired Waterbender grabbed Toph's arm and dragged her forward as she rushed over to her brother and the lemur while they quenched their thirst with copious amounts of cactus juice. Sokka cut open another part of the cactus and excitedly offered it to his skeptically-looking sister.

"There's water trapped inside these!"

"I don't know…" Katara said unsurely as she backed away from Sokka and the cactus, pulling Toph along with her.

"Suit yourself." Sokka replied with a shrug as cactus juice dripped off his chin, "It's very thirst quenching though."

Sokka gave his sister a wide, close-eyed smiled before his eyes suddenly snapped open, his pupils dilating until they practically covered his blue irises. He shook himself briskly in an attempt to get rid of the strange feeling he had then he began to hallucinate.

"Drink cactus juice. It'll queen ya! Nothing's quenchier!" He suddenly stated in a strange voice as he gestured towards the piece of cactus in his hand before he started crawling across the ground like a caterpillar.

Sokka jumped up and pushed his face towards his sister with a huge smile on his face, "It's the quenchiest!"

Katara leaned away from her brother and gave him a strange look then she grabbed the cactus piece from his hand and poured the juice on the ground.

"Okay…" She stated as she tossed the piece of cactus to the side, "I think you've had enough."

Apparently ignoring his sister, Sokka stared at Toph curiously.

"Who lit Toph on fire?" He asked as he furrowed his brows in confusion.

Katara opened her mouth to respond but was distracted by a sound coming from above her head and she looked up, her brows furrowing when she saw Momo flying around in circles. The lemur suddenly began increasing the speed in which he was flying before suddenly plummeting head-first into the ground. Katara sighed and picked up the unconscious lemur, cradling him in her arms.

"Can I get some of that cactus?" Toph asked in bemusement.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Katara replied as she wrapped an arm around Toph's shoulders and began leading her away, "Come on, we need to find Aang."

Realizing that her brother wasn't following her, Katara turned around and sighed when she saw Sokka had remained where he was and he was staring blankly at the sky. The Waterbender handed Momo to Toph then walked back over to her brother and grabbed his arm, dragging him behind her as she walked back to Toph.

"How did we get out here in the middle of the ocean?" Sokka asked in awe as he followed Katara and Toph across the endless desert.

Katara sighed quietly and shook her head, continuing the lead them through the desert in hopes of finding Aang soon.

* * *

Aang narrowed his eyes slightly as he flew over the desert in search of Appa, the bison whistle clenched in his hand. Carefully, he raised the whistle to his mouth and blew it, hoping that his friend will.

"Appa!" Aang called out as he glided down and landed on a sand dune, "Appa!"

The young Airbender stared out at the endless sea of sand, turning in a circle. He stared across the horizon and tears filled his eyes when he realized that he wasn't going to find his animal friend out here.

"No…" He whispered sadly then shouted, "NO!"

Overcome by anger, Aang slammed his staff on the ground, creating a large mushroom-shaped cloud of sand.

* * *

Katara, Toph, and Sokka reached the top of another dune then Sokka and Katara turned around to stare at the mushroom cloud of sand, a harsh sand-filled wind washing over them.

"What is that?" Katara muttered in shock as she stared at the mushroom cloud worriedly.

"What?" Toph asked as she moved her head side-to-side, "What is what?"

"It's a giant mushroom!" Sokka exclaimed excitedly as he gestured with his arms, "Maybe it's friendly!"

"Let's just keep moving." Katara said then grabbed Toph's wrist and pulled her along, "I hope Aang's okay."

As Katara led Toph away, Sokka started to worship the mushroom cloud by waving his arms up and down then side-to-side.

"Friendly mushroom!" He shouted happily as he continued to wave his arms back-and-forth while Momo clung to his back, "Mushy giant friend!"

* * *

"Yeah, a little barefoot blind girl and her friends passed through here a few days ago." A man stated with a smirk as he stood in front of Yu and Xin Fu at the Misty Palms Oasis.

"Did they give you any indication where they were headed?" Yu asked the man calmly.

"Maybe you could give me a little incentive?" The man replied with a smirk as he rubbed his fingers together.

"You suggesting I break your fingers?" Xin Fu growled as he took a threatening step towards the man.

The man blanched and hid his hand behind his back then pointed towards the Si Wong Desert with his other hand.

"They went into the desert!" The man said hurriedly, "Too bad there's almost no chance they survived."

"That's okay," Xin Fu responded with a sneer, "'Cause she's wanted dead or alive."

"No, she's not!" Yu snapped at Xin Fu in annoyance while the man quietly backed away from them, "I'm certain her father wants her alive."

Xin Fu ignored him and turned his head, catching sight of the wanted posters.

"Hey, look…" He stated as he walked over to them, "Fire Nation wanted posters!"

"So?" Yu questioned as he followed the other Earthbender and examined the wanted posters.

"So, look who's here." Xin Fu stated when he caught sight the two fugitives, Zuko and Iroh walking towards the tavern beside a white-haired girl.

Yu looked over and his eyes narrowed slightly, "Isn't that the girl that was traveling with the Avatar?"

Xin Fu nodded once, his dark eyes blazing with spite as a malicious smirk appeared on his face.

* * *

Katara, Toph, and Sokka with Momo on his head walked single file through the desert, where it was nearly twilight. They all paused when a shadow suddenly passed over their heads and Aang landed behind them in a crouch, kicking up a small cloud of sand. Aang remained kneeling on the ground even after the sand had cleared and Katara walked towards him.

"I'm sorry, Aang." The dark-haired Waterbender said quietly as she put a hand on Aang's shoulder, "I know it's hard for you right now, but we need to focus on getting out of here."

"What's the difference?" Aang muttered hopelessly as he pulled away from Katara's comforting touch, "We won't survive without Appa. We all know it."

"Come on, Aang." Katara replied encouraging, "We can do this if we work together. Right, Toph?"

"As far as I can feel, we're trapped in a giant bowl of sand pudding." Toph replied blandly with a shrug, "I've got nothin'."

"Sokka?" Katara questioned her brother hopefully, "Any ideas how to find Ba Sing Se?"

Sokka smiled blissfully from where he and Momo were lying on their backs side-by-side on the ground, their arms and legs stretched out.

"Why don't we ask the circle birds?" Sokka suggested as he pointed up at the sky.

Katara frowned slightly and looked upward, her eyes widening slightly when she saw four buzzard-wasps circling above their heads. Katara turned her attention away from the buzzard-wasps and looked at the others. Aang was still sulking as he sat on the ground and Toph was swaying in place, staggering slightly while Sokka was sniggering a bit and Momo was lazily clawing at the buzzard-wasps.

"Ugh!" Katara suddenly exploded as she grabbed at her head in annoyance then turned towards her brother and friends, "We're getting out of this desert, and we're going to do it together. Aang, get up! Do you think Xia would let you just let you sit there and sulk? Everybody, hold hands. We can do this. We have too."

Katara ignored the way Aang flinched slightly at the mention of his missing sister and she pulled him to his feet. She took one last look at the circling buzzard-wasps then began pulling Aang along by his glider while he held Toph's hand and Toph held Sokka's in turn. Sokka grinned widely, still snickering as he stumbled after the other three, pulling Momo along by his tail while the lemur was lazily trying to fly in the other direction.

* * *

The sun had begun to set when the four stagger up a large sand dune, Katara still leading them.

"I think we should stop for the night." Katara stated as she stopped atop the sand dune and the others sighed in relief then collapsed from exhaustion.

"Is there any more water?" Toph asked hopefully and Katara walked over to her.

"This is the last of it." The dark-haired Waterbender said as she opened her pouch, "Everyone can have a little drink."

Sokka sighed and crawled towards Toph and Katara with Momo on his back as Katara bended the last of the water from her pouch. The lemur suddenly leapt forward at the water, causing it t fall in the sand.

"Momo, no!" Sokka exclaimed in theatrically panic as he grabbed his head in despair, "'You've killed us all!"

"No, he hasn't." Katara sighed and held her hand over the wet patch of sand, ending the water back into the her pouch then she handed it to Toph to drink.

"Oh, right…" Sokka said in relief, "Bending."

Katara shook her head slightly then addressed her brother, "Sokka, let me see the things you got from the library."

"What?! I didn't steal anything! Who told you that?" Sokka demanded in offence as he backed away and defensively grabbed his bag full of scrolls then he pointed accusingly at Momo, "It was you! You ratted me out!"

Momo pinned his ears back and covered his eyes with his hands, appearing to almost sob as his shoulders shook.

"Sokka, I was there." Katara muttered in exasperation as she took her brother's bag and started looking through the scrolls.

"It doesn't matter." Aang stated sadly as he glanced over his shoulder at the dark-haired girl, "None of those will tell us where Appa is…"

"No," Katara agreed with a soft sigh, "But we can find out which way Ba Sing Se is. We can use the stars to guide us. That way we can travel at night when it's cool and rest during the day."

She unrolled a map of the stars and looked it over for a moment then turned around to look at the rest of the group, sighing when she saw them all lying in the sand, clearly exhausted from the long walk and their grief over the loss of Appa.

"Just try to get some sleep." Katara said quietly as she rolled the star map back up, "We'll start again in a few hours."

* * *

"No one here is going to help us." Zuko commented in annoyance as he, Iroh, and Xiaodan sat at a table in the tavern at the Misty Palms Oasis, "These people just look like filthy wanderers."

"So do we." Iroh replied with a grin, causing Xiaodan to snort in amusement, then he pointed over Zuko's shoulder, "Ah, this is interesting. I think I found our friend."

Zuko and Xiaodan turned around to see what Iroh was pointing at. The banished prince groaned quietly while Xiaodan grinned happily when she saw an older man sitting at a Pai Sho table.

"You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?" Zuko demanded disbelief as Iroh got to his feet.

"I don't think this is a gamble." Iroh responded with a sly grin then he began walking towards the Pai Sho table.

Zuko scowled slightly and Xiaodan chuckled as she got to her feet, patting the scarred teen's shoulder as she passed him.

"C'mon, Firebug, don't be such a stick in the mud." She quipped then giggled again and sauntered over to the Pai Sho table, Zuko trailing after her a moment later with a scowl on his face.

* * *

Xin Fu and Yu watched the trio from the other side of the tavern where they were sitting on a bench.

"Let's take them now!" Xin Fu barked as he jumped to his feet and took a step towards the three with the intention of grabbing them, but Yu placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"This place is full of desperate characters." Yu explained calmly when he saw the murderous look on the other man's face, "If they find out we're collecting a bounty, we might have to fight them all just to keep our prize. Patience."

* * *

"May I have this game?" Iroh asked as he, Xiaodan, and Zuko approached the Pai Sho table.

"The guest has the first move." The man said in reply as he gestured for Iroh to take a seat.

Iroh smiled faintly as he sat down then he placed the lotus tile in the center of the board.

"I see you favor the white lotus gambit." The man commented idly as he looked at the Pai Sho tile then Iroh, "Not many cling to the ancient ways."

Xiaodan tilted her head slightly when the man cupped his hands and bowed towards Iroh, who stared at the man calmly.

"Those who do can always find a friend." Iroh said sagely then copied the other man's gesture, also cupping his hands towards him.

"Then let us play." The other man said as he straightened and put a tile on the board, quickly followed by a tile place by Iroh.

Xiaodan and Zuko watched with curiosity and bemusement as the two men placed more tiles on the boards, seemingly without even looking at what the other man was doing. The white-haired Airbender pulled out a stool then sat down, placing her elbows on her knees as she leaned forward to watch the two men play. Zuko sat down on another stool beside her, his gold eyes flickering from his uncle to the other man as they continued to place more tiles on the board.

The two men place their last tiles on the board simultaneously and Xiaodan's eyebrows nearly disappear into her hairline when she saw that the tiles formed the shape of a lotus flower.

"Welcome, brother." The old man said to Iroh, "The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."

"I think we're missing something here." Xiaodan muttered as she leaned towards Zuko slightly, her eyes never leaving the Pai Sho board.

Zuko rolled his eyes and addressed the two older men, "What are you old gasbags talking about?"

"Zuko!" Xiaodan hissed and jabbed him in the side with her fingers, but Iroh merely smiled at his nephew serenely.

"I always tried to tell you that Pai Sho is more than just a game." Iroh said as a smirk formed on his aged face and he rolled a Pai Sho tile between his fingers then clutched it in his fist.

"I'm not waiting all night for these geezers to finish yapping!" Xin Fu snarled impatiently as he jumped to his feet and stormed over to the Pai Sho table with Yu trailing after him, "It's over! You three fugitives are coming with me!"

Xiaodan's eyes went wide as she stared up at the two men, instantly recognizing them from Gaoling where she, Aang, Katara, and Sokka had first met Toph. The old man suddenly jumped up and placed himself in front of Iroh, Zuko, and Xiaodan, preventing Xin Fu and Yu from reaching them.

"I knew it!" The old man exclaimed loudly as he pointed at the trio, "You two are wanted criminals with a _giant_ bounty on your heads!"

"I thought you said he would help!" Zuko hissed at his uncle, unconsciously moving so that Xiaodan was slightly behind him.

Iroh placed a reassuring hand on his nephew's shoulder, "He is. Just watch."

Xiaodan peeked over Zuko's shoulder and the trio watched as the old man turned to face Xin Fu and Yu.

"You think you're going to capture them and collect all that gold?" The man demanded loudly, catching the attention of nearly everyone in the tavern.

"Gold?" One man questioned eagerly as he got to his feet, followed by several others while more men turned to look at the scene, some even pulling out weapons in preparation to attack.

"Uh…" Yu said as he looked around at the vagabonds surrounding him and Xin Fu, "Maybe we shouldn't…"

Xin Fu ignored him, an eager grin spreading across his face as he moved towards Zuko, Iroh, and Xiaodan only for two men to jump in front of him and block his path. His grin turning into an annoyed scowl, Xin Fu performed a reverse roundhouse kick, Earthbending a rock from the ground and easily pushing the two men out of his way.

Yu sighed and shifted into an Earthbending stance, sinking the first person to charge him into the grin. Meanwhile, Xin Fu kicked two Sanbenders away from him while lifting another in the air and holding a fourth Sandbender back with his other hand. After kicking another Sandbender away, Xin Fu twisted his waist and sent the two men he was holding flying across the tavern, one of them crashing into the wall behind the bar.

* * *

The old man nodded towards Iroh and the older Firebender touched Zuko's shoulder, grabbing his attention. Iroh jerked his chin towards Xiaodan, who was watching the fight with vague amusement. Zuko nodded sharply then grabbed the white-haired girl's hand and dragged her out of the tavern, following his uncle and the old man as they led them out of the tavern. The banished prince decided to ignore the heat he could feel crawling up his cheeks as he held tightly to Xiaodan's hand, even after they had managed to escape the tavern.

* * *

Xin Fu knocked the last man unconscious and looked around, a furious expression appearing on his face when he realized that their prey escaped during the chaos. The wrestler growled in frustration and slammed his two fists into the ground, erecting a giant pillar of earth under a downed Sandbender, shooting him out of a window where he hit a palm tree outside of the tavern. Yu sighed and shook his head, covering his eyes with his hand.

* * *

Momo chittered quietly as he patted the sand he used to cover Sokka with while the Water Tribe boy was sleeping. The lemur jumped away hurriedly as Katara approached.

"C'mon, get up." Katara instructed tiredly as she touched her brother's shoulders, "We need to go."

Sokka sat up drowsily and smiled at his sister like a drunken idiot while Toph also sat up, smacking her lips slightly.

"Yesterday my mouth tasted like mud." The blind girl stated with a sigh, "Now it just tastes like sand. I never thought I'd miss the taste of mud so much."

Katara smiled tiredly at the blind girl then moved over to wake up Aang. She reached out to touch his shoulder but froze when he suddenly spoke.

"I'm awake. I couldn't sleep."

"Well, we need to get moving if we want to get out of this sand pit." Katara said quietly.

She and Aang spot something large in the sky and the young Airbender sat up quickly, his eyes widening when a large, bison-shaped object floated across the bright full moon.

"Appa!" Aang shouted joyfully, his expression brightening.

"Appa? But why would Princess Yue need him? She's the moon!" Sokka said randomly and a dopey grin appeared on his face as he grabbed Momo's tail, rubbing it against his cheek, "She flies by herself!"

Aang and Katara look at the object closer and Aang's happy expression fell when he realized it was just a small desert cloud.

"It's just a cloud." Katara sighed sadly then brightened slightly, "Wait! A cloud!"

She hurriedly offered her water pouch to Aang, "Here, fly up and bend the water from that cloud into my pouch."

Aang glared at her angrily and snatched the water pouch from her hands then he jumped into the air, snapping his glider open. The trio gazed up at him as he quickly passed through the cloud two times and the few remains of the cloud evaporated. Aang tossed the pouch at Katara as he landed and the dark-haired girl peered inside.

"Wow…" Katara said in disappointment, "There's hardly any in here."

"I'm sorry, okay! It's a desert cloud! I did all I could! What's anyone else doing?!"" Aang lashed out angrily then pointed his staff at Katara, "What are you doing?!"

"Trying to keep everyone together." Katara replied as she looked at Aang with a shocked expression on her face then she turned away and looked at the star map in her hands, "Let's just get moving. We need to head in this direction."

She looked at the star charts once more then started leading the group in the chosen direction. The four walk silently through the desert for, none of them willing to speak at the moment, at least until Toph suddenly tripped and fell flat on her face. Aang and Katara turn and look at the blind Earthbender while Sokka and Momo just stand there and stare blankly at the night sky.

"Ow! Crud! I am so sick of not feeling where I'm going!" Toph cried out in annoyance as she sat up and began rubbing her right foot then she pointed at the little rocklike-shaped object she had tripped over, "And what idiot buried a boat in the middle of the desert?!"

"A boat?" Katara asked curiously then she ran over to inspect the object.

"Believe me, I kicked it hard enough to feel plenty of vibrations." Toph stated in an annoyed tone.

Sokka turned around, swinging like a string puppet, to see what his sister was so excited about while Katara began to rub the sand off the object that appeared to be made of wood. Aang stepped forward then and held up his staff suggestively and Katara nodded once then backed away. As soon as she was a few feet away, Aang swung his staff around, creating a mighty gust of wind that revealed a boat of some sort. Katara hopped aboard the boat and began examining it further, her expression suddenly brightening when she realized what it was.

"It's one of the gliders the Sandbenders use! And look! It's got some kind of compass on it!" She exclaimed happily as she tapped the compass on the sand glider, "I bet it can point us out of here! Aang, you can bend a breeze so we can sail it. We're going to make it!"

Katara's happy expression deadpanned slightly when she saw her brother laughing childishly as he buried Momo in the sand and she sighed quietly, covering her eyes with her hand.

* * *

Iroh followed the old man to a flower shop on the other side of the Misty Palms Oasis while Zuko, still holding Xiaodan's hand, trailed behind him. The old man held the door open for the trio then peered out cautiously before shutting it behind him. The old man then turned to face Iroh, his hands folded in the sleeves of his robes.

"It is an honor to welcome such high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus." The man said as he bowed briefly to Iroh, "Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets."

"Now that you played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging, or is someone in this club going to offer some real help?" Zuko demanded in annoyance as he looked between the two older men, not even realizing that he was had Xiaodan's hand clasped in his own.

"You must forgive my nephew." Iroh stated, giving Zuko a stern look that caused Xiaodan to snicker quietly, "He is not an initiate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts."

The man nodded in understanding then led Iroh towards the back of the store where a door with a peephole was located. The man knocked twice and the small speakeasy-type opening in the door was slid open, another man peering out cautiously.

"Who knocks at the guard gate?" The second man asked cryptically.

"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries." Iroh replied just a cryptically then he smiled when the door opened, letting him and the older man enter.

Zuko attempted to follow them with Xiaodan, but the door was slammed shut in his face. Xiaodan snorted quietly at the pout that appeared on his face when Iroh opened the small speakeasy-type opening.

"I'm afraid it's members only." Iroh said, not sounding very sorry at all, "Wait out here."

The small window was shut again and Zuko huffed in annoyance, glaring at the door. Xiaodan looked at Zuko then down at their clasped hands then back at Zuko, her brow quirking slightly.

"You can let my hand go now." She said with a teasing smile on her face, "We're not running for our lives anymore."

Zuko frowned slightly in confusion then he looked at their still joined hands and he jerked his hand away from hers as if she had burned him, a blush appearing on his face. Zuko crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby table, turning his head away from the white-haired girl and trying to ignore the blush on his face. Xiaodan folded her arms across her stomach and ducked her head to stare at her feet, biting her lip in an attempt to keep from smiling at the flustered look on Zuko's face as she glanced up at him from under her messy white hair. Zuko flicked his eyes over to Xiaodan and cleared his throat quietly, trying to will the blush on his cheeks away as he also tried to ignore her presence in the room with him.

* * *

Katara navigated the sand-sailer through the desert while Aang drove it forward using strong gusts of wind. Toph sat on the other side of the navigating platform Katara was standing on while Sokka was sitting beside his sister with Momo.

"The needle on this compass doesn't seem to be pointing north according to my charts." Katara commented as she placed her star charts over the compass.

"Take it easy, little lady." Sokka said dreamily as he sat beside his sister with his legs dangling over the edge of the navigation platform while he held Momo by the tail, who was trying to fly in the opposite direction, "I'm sure the sand folks who built this baby know how to get around here."

Katara gave her brother an annoyed look then refocused her attention back towards the horizon in front of her, gasping a moment later in comprehension when she sees a giant rock in the distance.

"That's what the compass is pointing to!" She exclaimed as she gestured towards the rock they were rapidly approaching, "That giant rock! It must be the magnetic center of the desert!"

"A rock?!" Toph asked ecstatically, "Yes! Let's go!"

"Maybe we can find some water there!" Katara said hopefully, her blue eyes wide with optimism.

"Maybe we can find some Sandbenders…" Aang muttered in a dark tone as he continued to send gusts of air into the sails of the sand glider, directing it towards the rock.

The group reached the top of the rock just as the sun began to rise and Katara, Sokka, and Aang looked out towards the horizon to watch the sunrise.

"Ahhh…" Toph sighed contentedly, "Finally! Solid ground!"

The blind Earthbender happily let herself drop flat on her back and began moving her arms and legs back and forth, creating a rock angel. Aang, Katara, and Sokka wait until she's done before the four started to explore the caves that decorated the top of the rock. They enter a round tunnel and nearly every surface in the cave was covered in a yellow, gooey substance.

"I think my head is starting to clear out the cactus juice. And loo!" Sokka said after taking a deep breath then he dipped his hand into the yellow goo and tasted it, sharing his find with Momo.

The two spit it out a moment later, Sokka making disgusted gagging noises afterwards.

"Tastes like rotten penguin meat!" Sokka exclaimed in disgust then groaned, "Awww, I feel woozy…"

"You been hallucinating on cactus juice all day and then you just lick something you find stuck to the wall of a cave!?" Katara snapped at her brother in irritation, her hands on her hips.

Sokka shrugged, "I have a natural curiosity."

"I don't think this is a normal cave." Toph commented as she placed her hand on the cave wall, "This was carved by something."

"Yeah…" Aang agreed as he looked around, "Look at the shape."

"There's something buzzing in here." Toph said as she shifted her sightless gaze down to her feet then she looked back at her friends, "Something that's coming for us!"

The four run out of the cave as fast as they can, Toph and Aang screaming as buzzard-wasp emerged from the tunnel they had just run out of. Aang yanked Toph down as it flew over their heads and a second buzzard-wasp appeared.

More buzzard-wasps began to emerge from the cave, cawing and screeching as they surrounded the four teens and lemur. One buzzard-wasp dove forward but Aang swung his staff and blasted it away with a strong current of air. A second wasp landed on a nearby rock and Toph spun around, bending up a rock from underneath it as soon as it touched the ground.

Another buzzard-wasp flew between Toph and Sokka, the blind girl lifting up the rock beside her then throwing in the general direction of the sound the buzzard-wasp made, but she missed, the giant rock only inches away from crushing Sokka.

"What are you doing?" Sokka demanded in surprise as he turned to face the Earthbender, "That rock almost crushed me!"

"Sorry, I can't tell where they are in the air!" Toph retorted as another passed between her and Sokka.

"I got this one." Sokka called out as he readied his machete and he chased after the wasp then he began swinging his weapon back-and-forth at nothing.

"Sokka, there's nothing there!" Katara shouted in exasperation.

Sokka lowered his machete and looked around in search of the buzzard-wasp he thought he had been chasing.

"I guess my head's not as clear as I thought." The Water Tribe boy muttered sheepishly.

"We have to get out of here." Katara said as she backed up a few steps towards Aang, looking around at the numerous buzzard-wasps flying around her and her friends.

Momo suddenly screeched loudly and Aang spun around just in time to see a wasp grab the lemur.

"Momo!" Aang shouted as the buzzard-wasp began flying away from hive, "I'm not losing anyone else out here!"

Full of anger, Aang took after the wasp on his glider, leaving Katara and Sokka to watch him go with trepidation.

"Come on, we're going down." Katara stated as she grabbed Toph's hand and began to descend along a narrow ledge.

Katara suddenly stopped Toph and put her hands on her shoulders, turning slightly in the direction of an incoming wasp.

"Toph, shoot a rock right there." Katara instructed then waited a moment for the wasp to get closer, "Fire!"

Toph quickly kicked up some rocks and shot them forward, hitting the incoming wasp in the head.

"Yeah! You got it!" Sokka cheered and swung his machete in the air then looked at his sister, "She got it, right?"

"Yes." Katara replied and began tugging Toph along down the narrow ledge, "Now let's move."

* * *

Aang chased after the buzzard-wasp that took Momo, a grave expression casting a shadow on his face as he flew closer. He dove suddenly then flew upward again straight underneath the wasp then he flipped over so he was facing the underside of the wasp, directing a strong gust of air at the wasp with a kick of his leg as he turned. The gust forced the wasp to release Momo, and the lemur tumbled towards the ground, but managed to regain control and he began soaring next to Aang, who had righted himself.

Aang looked at Momo then towards the rising sun on the horizon. An angry glare appeared on his face when he saw the wasp was getting away and he glided downward, flying close to the ground. Without thinking, Aang used the speed of his descent and closed his glider, swinging his staff down in the same motion. A powerful wall of air splits the sand and raced towards the escaping buzzard-wasp, striking the creature a moment later, severing its head from its body. The motionless body crashed to the ground with a loud thud and Aang just glared at the downed wasp before turning and walking back towards the giant rock. Momo looked from the downed wasp to Aang then began crawling after the Airbender with his ears pinned to his head, frightened by the sudden merciless outburst of power he had just witnessed.

* * *

Katara and Sokka stood behind Toph at the bottom of the giant rock, with Katara looking over the blind girl's shoulder and acting as her eyes while the buzzard-wasps continued to circle around them.

"On your left!" Katara called out and Toph reacted immediately, shooting a rock to her left.

The buzzard-wasp took the rook straight in the chest and it shrieked on impact before tumbling to the ground. More buzzard-wasps hovered in the air around the three and were about to attack when gigantic pillars of sand suddenly rose from the ground and scared the swarm off.

Katara, Sokka, and Toph tossed their arms over their head to shield their eyes from the sand then lowered them a few moments later. As the sand around them cleared, the trio's eyes widened when they saw several Sandbenders. Aang landed in front of Katara, Sokka, and Toph a moment later and he narrowed his eyes at them angrily.

* * *

Xiaodan placed a hand over her mouth the cover a yawn, her eyelids dropping slightly as sat cross-legged on the ground across from Zuko, who was still leaning against the table with his head bowed, fast asleep. The backdoor in the flower shop suddenly opened with a squeak, startling both teens with the noise. Zuko took on a defensive stance as his uncle stepped through the door while Xiaodan merely Airbended herself to her feet, her staff held loosely in her hand.

"What's going on?" Zuko asked as he looked around then straightened, "Is the club meeting over?"

"Everything is taken care of." Iroh replied serenely as he turned and bowed to Fung, "We're heading to Ba Sing Se."

"Ba Sing Se?" Xiaodan questioned, tilting her head curiously at Iroh as she leaned against her staff.

"Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital?" Zuko asked in confusion and Iroh smiled at the two teens.

"The city is filled with refugees." Fung explained calmly, "No one will notice three more."

"We can hide in plain sight there. And it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation." Iroh added them shrugged his shoulders happily, "Even I couldn't break through to the city."

Xiaodan quirked a brow at the older man, "There's a story that I wouldn't mind listening to."

"Perhaps another time, Xia." Iroh replied with a smile and the white-haired girl nodded.

The four were distracted when the sound of a bell signaled someone entering the shop and the four turned to watch as a young man approached them, a couple papers in his hands.

"I have the passports for the guests," The man said then he gestured towards the door, "But there are two men out on the street looking for them."

Iroh, Zuko, and Xiaodan peered through the small window on the front door and stared at Xin Fu and Yu.

"You seen these guys?" Xin Fu demanded as he held up a wanted poster to a man walking by.

The trio looked at each other, unsure what to do about the two Earthbenders looking for them.

* * *

"What are you doing in our land with a Sandbender sailer?" The leader of the Sandbenders demanded as he confronted Aang and his friends, "From the looks of it, you stole it from the Hami tribe."

"We found the sailer abandoned in the desert." Katara replied calmly then she gestured towards Aang, "We're traveling with the Avatar. Our bison was stolen and we have to get to Ba Sing Se."

The leader's eyes widened slightly and he looked at Aang carefully while a young man to the leader's right stepped forward and aggressively addressed Katara.

"You dare accuse our people of theft while you ride in on a stole sand-sailer?" The young man snarled, causing Toph's blind eyes to narrow when she heard the young man's voice.

"Quiet, Ghashiun." The leader snapped at the young man, "No one accused our people of anything. If what they say is true, we must give them hospitality."

"Sorry, father." Ghashiun apologized as he stepped back, though his eyes flickered towards the four teens.

Toph's eyes widened and she turned her head slightly towards her friends.

"I recognize the son's voice." The blind Earthbender said, her tone becoming angry, "He's the one that stole Appa."

"Are you sure?" Katara asked quietly, wanting to be absolutely positive.

"I never forget a voice." Toph replied with conviction and that was all Aang needed.

The young Airbender charged forward and brandished his staff threateningly towards Ghashiun.

"You stole Appa!" Aang shouted furiously, "Where is he? What did you do to him!?"

"They're lying!" Ghashiun exclaimed hurriedly as he cowered back, "They're the thieves!"

Aang growled angrily and spun around, slamming his staff on the ground and obliterating one of the Sandbender's sailers with a powerful blade of air.

"_**Where is my bison?**_" Aang practically roared with an enraged expression on his face and the Sandbenders cowered away from him.

* * *

A young man exited the flower shop, pulling two large flowerpots on a wooden wagon behind him. Xin Fu and Yu watched him leave then they walked towards the door, the wrestler slamming it open with such ferocity that an overhanging plant came crashing down. Xin Fu shoved the banished Fire Nation prince's and his uncle's wanted posted under the florist's nose aggressively.

"Hey, you, where are these men?" Xin Fu demanded harshly, "I got a tip that they're in your shop."

"As you can see, no one is here but us." The florist replied calmly as he gestured around him with his hands.

"We know all about your secret back room." Yu stated with a smirk then he looked over at Xin Fu, "Kick it down."

Xin Fu charged at the door in the back like an enraged rhino and he kicked it down, along with surrounding wall.

"Hey!" The florist protested as the two Earthbenders walked into the circular room, "That room is for flowers only!"

Yu looked around the room then spotted a Pai Sho tile on the ground in the middle of the room.

"Some unlucky soul has an incompletely Pai Sho set." Yu commented idly as he looked at the lotus tile in his hand.

Xin Fu growled angrily and knocked it out of the other man's hand with a swipe of his own hand.

"Let's go back to the finding the girl." The wrestler barked and stormed out of the flower shop, Yu trailing after him quietly.

* * *

The florist's apprentice pulled the wooden wagon with the two large flowerpots over some sand dunes outside of the village. Iroh's head emerged from underneath the flowers in one of the pots while Zuko's and Xiaodan's heads emerged from under the flower of the second pot. The three briefly peek around them then sank back into their pots.

Xiaodan bit her lip to keep from laughing as she tried to keep from pressing to closely to Zuko while they shared a flowerpot, a faint blush appearing on her face since she was being forced to practically sit in his lap.

"We're never going to speak of this." The white-haired girl commented quietly as she leaned as far from the scarred teen as she could in the cramped space.

"Agreed…" Zuko mumbled back, his eyes shut tight in an attempt to ignore the female Airbender.

* * *

"You tell me where he is now!" Aang ordered furiously as his lips curled into a snarl as he destroyed another sailer with a strong blast of air, the Sandbenders staring in shock as it blew up.

"What did you do?" The leader, Sha-Mo, demanded as he looked at his son.

"I-it wasn't me!" Ghashiun stuttered in denial, holding his hands up in front of him.

"You said to put a muzzle on him!" Toph shouted back as she pointed in Ghashiun's direction.

"You muzzled Appa?!" Aang roared furiously and his eyes and arrow tattoos began to glow, his anger triggering the Avatar State.

The furious young Avatar swung his staff again and destroyed the last of the Sandbenders' sailers.

"I'm sorry!" Ghashiun cried out in terror as Aang spun around to face him, "I didn't know that it belonged to the Avatar!"

"Tell me where Appa is!" Aang screamed, his voice echoing with the voice of all the Avatars.

"I traded him! To some merchants! He's probably in Ba Sing Se by now! They were gong to sell him there!" Ghashiun exclaimed in fear as he and the other Sandbenders raised their hands as if to ward off the Avatar's bright, angry glare, "Please! We'll escort you out of the desert! We'll help you however we can!"

The wind around Aang began to swirl around him violently as his anger reached its peak. Sokka's eyes widened and he grabbed Toph and Momo, pulling them after him as he ran away from his enraged friend.

"Just get out of here!" Sokka shouted at the terrified Sandbenders, "Run!"

Aang's staff fell to the ground and the wind around him formed a fast moving sphere that kicked up sand high in to the air. Everyone began to run away but Katara, who remained standing where she was, staring sadly at the ground. The sandstorm engulfed her and Aang completely, obscuring them Sokka, Toph's, and the Sandbenders' sights and they braced themselves as the whirlwind swooped over them.

Katara slowly lifted her head, her eyes narrowed slightly to keep the sand out of her eyes. She stared at the sphere of air slowly lifted Aang to in the air, his teeth clenched and his hands fisted at his side with rage. Katara knew what she had to do and she prayed it would work, since every other time Aang had gone into the Avatar State, Xiaodan had been there to help calm him down. The dark-haired took a small but deep breath then made her way towards Aang with slow, determined steps. She reached out and grabbed his right arm, preventing him from rising into the air any further and she didn't flinch when the terrible face of an outraged Avatar Aang looked down at her.

Katara stared back at him with a sad, sincere expression on her face then she began pulling him back to the ground, pressing him close to her chest once his feet touched the ground. She held him tightly to her and the wind began to become less and less violent, Sokka and Toph lowering their arms slowly as the wind died down. Tears streamed down Aang's cheeks, his eyes still glower brightly as Katara held him even tighter as her own eyes began to well up with tears. The air sphere surrounding Aang and Katara slowly dissolved away as Aang left the Avatar State, his rage subsiding to make room for the pure, heartbreaking sadness he felt.

* * *

Xiaodan straightened slightly from her slouched position in the flowerpot, her brow furrowing as she lifted her hand up and pressed it to her chest. She bowed her head slightly as she rubbed at her chest, her lips pursing as she thought about the suddenly, inexplicable, and brief flash of sadness she felt.

'_Aang…' _She thought quietly then closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the flowerpot, _'Please be okay, little brother…'_

Xiaodan was so distracted with her thoughts, she didn't even notice the curious look Zuko was giving her.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoo! Finally got this chapter finished! I'm so, so sorry it took so long. Like I said in the AN at the beginning of the chapter my laptop stopped working, that hard drive somehow became fucked up and it's taken me a while to convince my dad to let me use his laptop instead, so I don't know how frequently I'm going to be able to update while my laptop is out of commission, though I'll try my best. Anyhooties, I hope this chapter was worth the wait, it was a bit of a pain in the ass to write, to be honest. There were some cute, little fluffy Zukia/Xiabug moments that I hoped y'all enjoyed. Also, I hope everyone enjoyed a completely doped-up Sokka, because that is the best freaking part of this episode. Anyhooties, next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 12: The Serpent's Pass, so stay tuned for that!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are awesome!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**AmbrosiaMaestro: **Haha, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you liked the little Xiabug moments in this chapter. XD

**88dragon06: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I would totally want to go to that library too, even with the crazy owl spirit, I'd just have to be all ninja-like to avoid him. XD Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Yeah, it always depresses me when I watch The Library, then I watch Appa's Lost Days and I feel even sadder. I'm glad you liked the idea for the Xia only chapter, I actually have a pretty solid outline on what I want her to think about during that chapter, so it should be a pretty decent length, maybe. Haha, I'll definitely put it in an Author's Note when I finally get my Yu Yu Hakusho story posted. I'm working on a title right now, which is becoming a serious pain in the ass since nothing seems fitting. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Haha, don't worry, Zuko and Xia will get together soon. I'm thinking maybe in the episode Tales of Ba Sing Se. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: **I'm glad the Zukia moments make up for the sad Appa moments in the last chapter. Haha, I hope you like the Zukia moments in this chapter and I'm sorry for not updating, I'll try to updating soon if I can. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**SanityIsOverratedXD: **Xia will Firebend again in episode The Crossroads of Destiny, but it's gonna be a complete (and explosive) accident. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Cat of Flames: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Becky: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter, sorry for not updating sooner though. Haha, thanks for pointing out that typo in the AN at the beginning of the last chapter, I'll go back and fix that later. Anyhooties, I hope this chapter was worth the wait!

**GingerNinja24: **I'm glad you liked the story so far! Haha, thank you for the compliment, it's very nice of you. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**BookLover695: **Yeah, I hated that part of the show too, along with Appa's Lost Days, cause that episode is just depressing to me. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**GreenStoneJade: **I'm glad you like the story so far! Ah, yeah, sorry about that. I'm planning on fixing that up when I finish the story, I just have to remember. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!


	33. Chapter 33: The Serpent's Pass

**AN: Chapter 33 takes place during Season 2 Episode 12: The Serpent's. Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

* * *

Sokka sat on the rock beside the lake, surveying one of the maps he took from the Wan Shi Tong's library in his lap while Toph sat on a lower rock, splashing her feet in the water. Aang was busy floating on his back in the lake, where he suddenly dove under the water and bended a block of ice around himself for amusement. Katara grinned as she stood at the top of the waterfall that flowed into the lake.

"Waterbending bomb!" The dark-haired girl shouted with a laugh as she jumped off the top of the waterfall, "Yeah!"

Sokka watched his sister hit the water then his eyes went wide when a tsunami-like wave rose up from her landing and he quickly twisted around to cover the scrolls while Aang in his ice block was splashed out of the water. Toph and Aang laughed happily as the water rained down on them while an annoyed expression appeared on Sokka's face

"Sure, five thousand year-old maps from the spirit library." Sokka grumbled as he held up one of the soaking wet maps, "Just splash some water on 'em."

"Sorry." Katara apologized sheepishly as she rung the water out of her hair then she bended the water from the map.

Sokka looked at the map critically then climbed off the rock and sat the map on the ground, the others gathering around him.

"So, did you figure out what route we're going to take?" Aang asked curiously as sat on the ground beside Sokka, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"Okay, we just got out of the desert, so we must be around here." Sokka stated as he pointed to a large splotch of tan on the map, "And we need to go to Ba Sing Se, which is here. It looks like the only passage connecting the south to the north is this sliver of land called the Serpent's Pass."

"You sure that's the best way to go?" Toph asked skeptically as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's the only way." Sokka said firmly then shrugged, "I mean, it's not like we have Appa to fly us there."

"Shush up about Appa." Katara hissed at her brother then cast a glance at Aang, "Can't you at least try to be sensitive."

Sokka stared at his sister with a deadpan expression then he looked over at Aang, who was staring at them both blandly.

"Katara, it's okay." Aang said drily, "I know I was upset about losing Appa before, but I just want to focus on getting to Ba Sing Se and telling the Earth King about the solar eclipse."

"Oh…" Katara said with a surprised expression on her face, "Well, okay. I'm glad you're doing better."

Sokka rolled up the map and got to his feet," Then to Ba Sing Se we go. No more distractions."

"Hello there, fellow refugees!"

The four teens turned around and blinked in surprise when they saw the two women and a man standing behind them, the man waving at them enthusiastically. Sokka's surprised expression fell and he stared at the three refugees blandly.

* * *

"So, you guys are headed to Ba Sing Se, too?" Aang questioned curiously as he and his friends stood in front of the Tahn, his pregnant wife Ying, and his sister.

"Sure are." Tahn confirmed with a smile as he rubbed his wife's large belly affectionately, "We're trying to get there before my wife Ying has her baby."

"Great!" Katara said happily, "We can travel through the Serpent's Pass together."

"The Serpent's Pass?" Ying asked in shock while her sister-in-law and husband stared at the four teens in stunned silence, "Only the truly desperate take that deadly route!"

"Deadly route." Toph mused sarcastically then she punched Sokka in the arm, "Great pick, Sokka!"

Sokka pouted and rubbed at his bruised arm, "Well, we are desperate."

"You should come with us to Full Moon Bay." Tahn suggested lightly, "Ferries take refugees across the lake. It's the fastest way to Ba Sing Se."

"And it's hidden." Ying added with a smile, "So the Fire Nation can't find it."

"Hmm…" Katara pretended to think as she smirked at her brother, "Peacefully ferry ride or deadly pass?"

Sokka huffed and crossed his arms, deciding to ignore his sister for the moment.

* * *

"I can't believe how many people's lives have been uprooted by the Fire Nation." Katara stated in shock after two Earthbenders had opened the tunnel that led into Full Moon Bay and she stared at all the refugees.

"We're all looking for a better life, safe behind the walls of Ba Sing Se." Tahn commented before he, his wife, and sister waved goodbye to the four teens then headed further into the refugee camp.

Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Toph exchanged looked then the four headed towards the long line to get their tickets.

* * *

"Who would have thought after all these years, I'd return to the scene of my greatest military disgrace…" Iroh mused as he stood beside Zuko and Xiaodan aboard one of the ferries departing for Ba Sing Se and placed a floral hat on his head, "As a tourist!"

"Where in the world did you get that hat?" Xiaodan asked through her laughter and Iroh grinned widely at her.

"Look around. We're not tourists, we're refugees." Zuko snapped, killing the cheerful mood with his grumpiness as he took a sip of food from the bowl in his hand then spat it out a moment later with a disgusted look on his face, "Ugh! I'm sick of eating rotten food, sleeping in the dirt. I'm tired of living like this!"

"Aren't we all?"

Xiaodan turned around and stared at the young man leaning against one of awning pillars on the ferry, a piece of wheat in his mouth. Zuko glanced over his shoulder at the young man then he turned back to look out at the ocean. The young man pushed away from the pillar and took a few steps towards the trio, Iroh and Xiaodan watching him with wary curiosity while Zuko appeared to ignore him.

"My name's Jet and these are my Freedom Fighters." The young man said then he gestured towards a shorthaired girl and a young man with a bow strapped to his back, "Smellerbee and Longshot."

"Hey." The girl, Smellerbee greeted while Longshot nodded his head silently.

"Hello." Zuko muttered in reply and Xiaodan gave a small wave.

"Here's the deal." Jet stated as he walked closer to the trio, his gaze on Zuko, "I hear the captain's eating like a king while the refugees have to feed of his scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

"What sort of king is he eating like?" Iroh asked curiously and Jet glanced at him.

"The fat, happy kind." Jet replied drily.

Iroh's jaw went slack and he began to drool as he thought about what Jet was saying. Xiaodan snorted in quiet amusement at the look on the older man's face then she crossed her arms and returned her attention to Jet, one eyebrow quirked upward.

Jet smirked slightly at her as he addressed Zuko, "You want to help us 'liberate' some food?"

Zuko stared down at the bowl of rotten food in his hand for a moment then he tossed it into the water and turned to face Jet.

"I'm in."

Jet's smirk widened and he looked over at Xiaodan, who looked at him impassively.

"What about you? You wanna help?" He asked and the white-haired girl shook her head in the negative, "Suit yourself."

When Jet turned away, Xiaodan made a slight face. She didn't trust this boy, something seemed off about him to her.

* * *

"I told you already, no vegetables on the ferry!" The ferry ticket lady barked at the cabbage merchant in front of her, "One cabbage slug could destroy the entire ecosystem of Ba Sing Se! Security!"

The cabbage merchant watched in horror as a security guard led large platypus-bear towards his cabbage cart. The creature growled loudly and attacked the cart, destroying it and sending cabbages flying everywhere.

"Ahh!" The cabbage merchant wailed as he fell to his knees, "My cabbages!"

"Next!" The ticket lady shouted as two security guards carried the merchant away.

"Um…" Aang stammered as he stepped towards the ticket booth, his friends standing behind him, "Four tickets for the ferry to Ba Sing Se, please."

"Passports?"

"Uh… No one told us we had to have passports." Aang stated nervously, scratching his head slightly.

"Don't you know who this is?" Sokka asked as he walked over and threw his arm over Aang's shoulder, "He's the Avatar!"

"Ah, I see fifty Avatars a day." The ticket lady stated drily then she leaned over to look down her nose at Aang, "And, by the way, not a very impressive costume."

She gestured to the left where several young boys were dressed as the Avatar. Aang nodded in admiration and Momo peeked over his shoulder, catching the ticket lady's attention.

"Besides, no animals allowed." The ticket lady snapped then smirked, "Do I need to call security?"

Aang and Sokka looked over, blanching slightly when they saw the platypus-bear chomp down on a cabbage. Momo squeaked and tucked himself closer to Aang, hiding in fear.

"That won't be necessary." Aang said as he held his hands up and backed away.

"Next!"

Toph pushed past Aang, pushing her bag into his arms as she passed.

"I'll take care of this." The blind girl said confidently as she walked over to the ticket booth and slid her passport onto the podium, "My name is Toph Beifong and I'll need four tickets."

"Ah, the golden seal of the flying boar!" The ticket lady gasped in awe as she looked down at the passport and she hurriedly bowed, "It is my pleasure to help anyone of the Beifong family."

"It _is_ your pleasure." Toph said smugly then she gestured towards Sokka, Katara, and Aang, "As you can see, I am blind and these three imbeciles are my valets."

"But, the animal-"

"Is my seeing-eye lemur." Toph cut the woman off and Momo jumped onto her shoulder, chittering quietly.

"Well, normally it's only one ticket per passport, but this document is so official…I guess it's worth four tickets." The ticket lady stated then happily stamped an approval seal on four tickets.

"Thank you very much." Toph said with barely hidden sarcasm as she grabbed the four tickets off the podium and walked away, her friends following after her.

"Alright!" Sokka cheered as he followed Aang, Katara, and Toph towards the ferry, "We scammed that lady good! Ack!"

Sokka gasped when he was someone suddenly grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him backwards. His eyes widened slightly when he turned around and caught sight of a security guard standing in front of him with a stern expression on her face.

"Tickets and passports please." The young female security guard demand and Sokka gulped quietly.

"Is there a problem?"

"Yeah, I got a problem with you!" The security guard snapped and poked Sokka in the chest, "I've seen your type before. Probably sarcastic, think you're hilarious, and let me guess, you're traveling with the Avatar."

Sokka's nervous expression turned to one of confusion and slight suspicion, "Do I know you?"

"You mean you don't remember?" The security guard demanded as she grabbed the front of Sokka's shirt, "Maybe you'll remember this!"

Sokka's eyes went wide when the security guard suddenly kissed his cheek instead of punching him, like he thought she was going to do. His dumbfounded expression turned to one of recognition and happiness.

"Suki!" Sokka exclaimed gleefully and he hugged the makeup-less Kyoshi warrior tightly.

"Sokka, it's so good to see you!" Suki said as she hugged Sokka back then pulled away from the embrace to smile at him.

* * *

"You look so different without your makeup!" Katara said in shock as she, Aang, Toph, Sokka, and Suki sat or stood around one of the platforms on the wall surrounding Full Moon Bay, "And the new outfit."

"That crabby lady makes all the security guards wear them." Suki explained as she leaned against the wall in front of the bench Sokka, Katara, and Toph were sitting on.

The Kyoshi Warrior turned her attention to Sokka with a flirtatious smile, "And look at you, sleeveless guy. Been working out?"

"Ahhh, I'll grab a tree branch and do a few chin touches every now and then. Nothing major." Sokka replied with a smirk as he flexed his bicep then rubbed at the muscle, while Katara rolled her eyes at him.

"Are the other Kyoshi Warriors around?" Aang asked curiously from where he was standing next to the bench, his staff griped loosely in his hand.

"Yeah, after you left Kyoshi, we wanted to find a way to help people. We ended up escorting some refugees and we've been here ever since." Suki explained hten smiled when Momo jumped up next to her and she scratched his ears, "Hi, Momo! Good to see you too!"

The lemur purred happily and his eyes dropped shut as he leaned his head further into the girl's touch.

"So why are you guys getting tickets for the ferry?" Suki asked curiously as she looked at the four, "Wouldn't you just fly across on Appa? And where's Xia? Is she alright?"

Katara shifted uncomfortable and glanced at Aang, who remained silent, his head turned away from them.

"Appa's missing." The dark-haired Waterbender said quietly, "And Xia is…She decided to travel with someone who needed her help. We hope to find her and Appa in Ba Sing Se."

"I'm so sorry to hear that." Suki said compassionately then she addressed Aang, "Are you doing okay?"

Aang glanced up at her and his friends and he pursed his lips in frustration, "I'm fine. Would everybody stop worrying about me?"

The others frowned slightly and Katara opened her mouth to say something but a familiar voice cut her off.

"Avatar Aang, you have to help us!" Ying called out pleadingly from where she was standing with her husband and sister-in-law on the ground below the platform, "Someone took all of our belongings. Our passports, our tickets, everything's gone!"

"I'll talk to the lady for you." Aang said with a determined expression as he jumped from the platform and hurried back over to the ticket booth to the talk to the lady.

* * *

"No passports, no tickets!" The ticket lady barked and she stamped a 'denied' stamp on Aang's forehead.

"But she's pregnant and all of her stuff was stolen!" Aang exclaimed pleadingly, ignoring the mark on his forehead for the moment, "You have to make an exception!"

"No exceptions! If I just gave away tickets willy-nilly to anyone, there would be no more order!" The ticket lady shouted, "You know what that means? No more civilization!"

"What if we gave them our tickets?" Aang tried again but the woman was already shaking her head.

"No!"

"But-"

"Next!" The woman shouted loudly, spitting flying from her mouth and Aang recoiled.

He huffed quietly and walked back over to where Ying, Tahn, Tahn's sister, and his friends were standing, wiping the ink from his forehead.

"Don't worry, you'll get to the city safely." Aang said reassuringly to the family then his tone became determined, "I'll lead you through the Serpent's Pass."

The family nodded hesitantly and Aang began walking, his friends and the family following him as he led them.

"I can't believe we gave up our tickets and now we're going through the Serpent's Pass." Sokka whined as he walked behind the others.

"I can't believe you're still complaining about it." Toph retorted drily as she walked in front of the Water Tribe boy, Momo perched on her shoulder.

Sokka opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by Suki's voice coming from behind him.

"I'm coming too!" the young woman called out as she ran towards the group in her Kyoshi Warrior attire.

Sokka stopped and looked at her worriedly, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Sokka, I thought you'd want me to come." Suki said in confusion as she stopped in front of Sokka.

"I do." Sokka replied hurriedly, "It's just-"

"Just what?"

Sokka sighed and looked at the ground slightly, "Nothing. I'm glad you coming."

Suki frowned slightly and walked past him, heading towards the others. Sokka put his hand on his hip and looked at the ground despondently, then he sighed again and hurried after the others.

* * *

"This is the Serpent's Pass?" Sokka questioned as he and the others stood in front of the sign that stood as the entrance to the pass, "I thought it would be a little more wind-y, you know, like a serpent. Huh, I guess they misnamed it."

"Look at this writing!" Ying suddenly exclaimed when she caught sight of the writing on one of the posts, "How awful!"

"What does it say?" Toph asked curiously and Katara walked over to the post.

"It says, 'abandon hope.'" Katara read then she frowned slightly, her blue eyes troubled.

"How can we abandon hope? It's all we have!" Ying all but wailed and her husband wrapped his arms around her as she began to sob.

"I don't know." Aang stated quietly as he looked at the others, "The monks used to say that hope was just a distraction, so maybe we do need to abandon it."

"What are you talking about?" Katara asked him worriedly and Aang shrugged.

"Hope is not going to get us into Ba Sing Se." Aang said coolly as he turned his back on the group, "And it's not going to help find Appa or Xia. We need to focus on what we're doing right now and that's getting across this path.

"Okay, if you say so." Katara muttered and she followed after him when he began walking towards the Pass, the others following her.

* * *

"The Fire Nation controls the western lake." Suki commented when the group spotted a Fire Nation ship in sailing through the water as she and the others walked along the Serpent's Pass, "Rumor has it they're working on something big on the other side of it and don't want anyone to find out what it is."

The group of friends and family of refugees continued walking, ignoring the ship. Suddenly part of the rocky pass gave out under Tahn's feet and he gasped as he began to fall. Toph turned around and Earthbended a slab of rock from out of the side of the pass, catching Tahn, then she used the slab of rock to toss him back onto the pass.

"I'm okay!" The man exclaimed as his wife and sister embraced him worriedly, the rocks falling into the water.

"They've spotted us!" Sokka shouted when the Fire Nation ship suddenly launched a large fireball at them, "Let's go, let's go!"

Aang tightened his grip on his staff and jumped, using the side of the pass to push himself forward and towards the incoming fireball. With a fierce expression, he swung his staff and sent the fireball back at the ship with a slice of air. The fireball hit the ship's smoke stacks and Aang snapped open his glider.

The Fire Nation ship launched another fireball, which hit the side of the mountain above the group as they ran along the path, several large pieces of rock falling towards them. Suki looked up and gasped when she saw the rocks falling towards her. A startled yelp escaped her when she was suddenly pushed out of the way by Sokka and now he stared up at the incoming rocks fearfully. Toph quickly bended out a part of the mountain and the rocks slid harmlessly over Sokka.

"Suki, are you okay? You have to be more careful!" Sokka asked hurriedly as he helped the Kyoshi Warrior to her feet and pulled her after him as he began running after the others, "C'mon!"

"Thanks for saving by life, Toph." Toph said drily as she impersonated Sokka, then she shrugged nonchalantly, "Hey, no problem, Sokka."

The blind girl snorted and shook her head then she ran after the others, leaving the broken Fire Nation ship behind.

* * *

The sun was setting and the group was making camp in a small flat area on the mountain. Tahn had laid out a soft blanket for Ying to lay on and he was gently rubbing her feet and ankles while his sister sat beside his wife. The others were similarly placing their bedrolls on the ground around the small fire that Katara had set up.

"Suki, you should sleep there." Sokka chided the brown-haired girl when he saw her placing her bedroll on a ledge a little bit away from the group, "Who knows how stable this ledge is, it could give away at any moment!"

Suki huffed slightly when Sokka took her sleeping bag and placed it beside his a few feet from the fire.

"Sokka, I'm fine, stop worrying!" Suki snapped in annoyance as she walked over to the boy.

"You're right, you're right. You're perfectly cable of taking care of yourself! Wait!" Sokka shouted and jumped in front of Suki, preventing her from lying down then he sighed in relief and moved out of her way, "Oh, never mind, I thought I saw a spider, but, you're fine."

Suki's stared at him in confused frustration but she didn't say anything as he moved away.

* * *

Xiaodan sat with her eyes were closed and her hands were folded in her lap beside Iroh, trying to meditate. Zuko had left with Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot as soon as night had fallen several minutes previous and, though she would never admit out loud, she was worried about the grouchy banished prince.

"Do not worry." Iroh spoke quietly without looking at the white-haired girl, "He will be fine."

Xiaodan opened her eyes and sighed quietly, but she didn't respond.

* * *

Zuko stealthily climbed the stairs up to the second deck just as a guard passed by, Jet and Smellerbee, silently following him while Longshot remained below. The three teens snuck up beside the food storage room, peering into a window briefly then they crouched down and nimbly moved towards the front.

Zuko straightened and pressed his back against the wall of food storage area, then he peered around the side. Seeing no one, he looked back at Jet and Smellerbee and nodded his head once then he ran silently towards the door with Jet. The two stood on either side of the door while Smellerbee kept watch. Zuko unsheathed his dao blades and Jet jammed the spiked end of his hook swords between the door's lock and the doorjamb. Jet twisted his blade slightly, unlocking the door and Zuko pushed it open. The scarred prince held the door open and the two teens looked around cautiously then they hurriedly entered the storage room.

Jet cut down some chicken-ducks hanging from the ceiling and catches them in a drawstring sack then he went to gather more food. On the other side of the room, Zuko used his swords to turn bowls of food onto each other then he used his swords to stack them neatly. Sheathing his weapons, Zuko pulled a ribbon from his pocket and used it to tie the containers together. Jet glanced over his shoulder at the other boy and smirked slightly as Zuko placed the containers in his bag then he slung the bag over his shoulder.

"Guard's coming!" Smellerbee called out quietly and the two boys rushed silently out of the room.

The three ran towards the railing on the upper deck and a moment later, Longshot fired an arrow with a rope attached to it. The arrow embed itself into the wood of the railing and the two boys quickly slid the bags of food down the taunt rope, then Jet, Zuko, and Smellerbee slid down afterward. Once their feet were safely on the deck below, Longshot yanked the arrow from railing just as a guard walked past.

The four looked around cautiously then hurried back to where the other refugees were, the bags of food slung over Zuko's and Jet's shoulders.

* * *

Aang stood at the edge of flat rocky outcropping the group at made camp at and stared blankly out at the ocean. Katara stared at him for a moment then she carefully approached him.

"You know, it's okay to miss Appa." She said gently but Aang remained silent and she continued, "What's going on with you? In the desert, all you cared about was finding Appa and now it's like you don't care about him at all."

"You saw what I did out there." Aang said sadly, "I was so angry about losing Appa that I couldn't control myself. I hated feeling like that."

"But now you're not letting yourself feel anything." Katara whispered with a small frown, "I know sometimes it hurts more to hope and it hurts more to care. But you have to promise me you won't stop caring. Xia wouldn't want that, you know?"

Katara smiled softly at him and held her arms out, "Come on, you need a hug."

Aang stepped away from the ledge and bowed towards her, "Thank you for your concern, Katara."

Katara let her arms fall to the side and watched the young Airbender with a concerned expression as he walked away from her. She sighed quietly and looked out at the ocean.

"I wish you were here, Xia." The dark-haired Waterbender murmured, "You would know what to do."

* * *

Sokka sat on flat rock several feet from the camp and looked at the waning moon sadly. Suki walked over to him quietly and stood beside him then she looked up at the moon.

"It's beautiful moon." She commented softly and Sokka looked up at her.

"Yeah," The Water Tribe boy agreed just as softly then he looked back at the moon, "It really is."

Suki sighed quietly and sat beside him, "Look, I know you're just trying to help, but I can take care of myself."

"I know you can." Sokka replied, giving the Kyoshi Warrior a small smile.

"Then why are you acting so overprotective?" Suki asked curiously and Sokka looked away from her.

"It's so hard to lose someone you care about." He replied with a sigh, "Something happened at the North Pole and I couldn't protect someone. I don't want anything like that to ever happen again."

"I lost someone I care about." Suki stated shyly and she glanced up at him from under her lashes, "He didn't die, he just went away. I only had a few days to get to know him, but he was smart and brave and funny."

"Who is this guy?" Sokka asked with barely concealed jealousy as he got to his feet and stared down at Suki, "Is he taller than me?"

"No, he's about your height." Suki replied in amusement.

"Is he better-looking?" Sokka demanded, still not getting what Suki was trying to tell him.

"It _is_ you, stupid!" Suki finally exclaimed with a small laugh as she got to her feet and stood in front of Sokka.

"Oh!" Sokka said in surprise and he gave the girl a sheepish smile.

The two stared at each other for a few moments then they began to unconsciously lean towards each other, their eyes fluttering closed. Their lips were about to meet when Sokka opened his eyes and turned his head away, a conflicted expression on his face.

"I can't." Sokka said quietly without looking at the Kyoshi Warrior.

"I'm sorry." Suki apologized gently, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

"No, you shouldn't be." Sokka stated with a sigh and he turned away from, heading back towards the camp.

Suki watched him go, her brows puckered in a worried frown.

* * *

Xiaodan, Iroh and Zuko sat with Smellerbee and Longshot while Jet passed the rest of the food around to the refugees.

"So, Smellerbee, that's an usually name for a young man." Iroh commented idly as he looked at Smellerbee curiously.

"Maybe it's because I'm not a man…I'm a girl!" Smellerbee snapped and she got to her feet, walking away from the group.

"Oh, now I see." Iroh called out to her, trying to fix his mistake as Longshot got to his feet and hurried after the girl, "It's a beautiful name for a lovely girl!"

Xiaodan giggled quietly and put her hand on Iroh shoulder, shaking her head at him.

"Smooth, old man, very smooth." The white-haired girl teased him and Iroh made face at her, causing her to giggle even more.

* * *

Longshot followed Smellerbee quickly and grabbed her shoulder, turning her around to face him. He gave her a look and she sighed.

"I know, you're right. As long as I'm confident with who I am, it doesn't matter what other people think. Thanks, Longshot." Smellerbee stated gratefully and Longshot nodded at her.

* * *

Xiaodan sipped at her tea quietly while Iroh eagerly slurped at his noodles from beside her and Zuko sipped at his own drink on her other side. The white-haired girl sat her drink down in front of her and picked up the bowl of fruits and nuts Zuko had handed to her earlier when Jet approached them.

"From what I hear, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se." Jet said as he sat down across from Xiaodan, "I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall."

"It is a magnificent site." Iroh commented idly as he sat his bowl down.

"So you've been there before?" Jet asked with eager curiosity.

"Once." Iroh replied carefully as he looked off to the side, "When I was a…different man."

Xiaodan put a hand on his knee and gave him a soft smile when he turned to look at her. Iroh returned her smile with one of his own and he patted her hand gently then he picked up his own cup of tea and took a sip.

"I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of, but that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se, for a new beginning." Jet explained, his tone sounding slightly pained, "A second chance."

"That's very noble of you." Iroh remarked with a small nod then he glanced over at his nephew, "I believe that people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances."

Zuko glanced over at his uncle and the two stared at each other for a moment.

"Everyone should." Xiaodan added in a quiet voice as she picked up her teacup and took a sip, her eyes downcast so she didn't see the way Zuko turned to look at her.

"Yeah." Jet agreed with a small nod of his head in the white-haired girl's direction, "They should."

* * *

The sun was high in the sky the next morning when Aang led the group through the narrow mountain path carefully and they all came to a stop. They all stared in dismay and shock at the section of the pass that was completely submerged in water for several yards. A determined expression appeared on Katara's face and she walked towards the front.

"Everyone single file!" The Waterbender ordered as she began to bend the water apart and she walked onto the narrow strip of land that was revealed, the others following her in a straight line with Aang bringing up the rear, "Aang, I need help!"

Aang handed his staff to Toph, who was walking in front of him and he quickly began bending the water around the group, creating a bubble around them as they walked towards the other side of the pass.

Momo chittered excitedly as he looked at the fish swimming past from his spot on Toph's shoulder. The lemur chittered again and dove into the water, swimming after the fish, much to Sokka's amusement. Momo was about to grab one of the fish when a large something swam past him and the lemur quickly dove back into the water and onto Toph's shoulder, his ears pinned fearfully to his head.

The group stopped walking and stared in shock and trepidation as the large thing swam past their little bubble.

"What is that thing?" Katara muttered worriedly as the thing swam past.

The monster suddenly swam through the bubble, causing the group to scream in fear and panic as water began rushing around them. Tahn clung to his wife and sister protectively, holding their faces against his chest as water began rushing around them. Toph quickly stomped her feet and lifted her hands, Earthbending the ground beneath their feet up through the water until they breached the surface. Toph handed Aang his staff back and the group watched fearfully as the monster swam circles around them. The monster, which was a rather large and colorful serpent, suddenly reared up and out of the water, roaring at them ferociously.

"I think I just figured out why they call it the Serpent's Pass!" Sokka exclaimed then he grabbed Suki by the shoulders, "Suki, you know about giant sea monsters, make it go away!"

Suki slapped his hands away and glared at him, "Just because I live near the unagi doesn't mean I'm an expert!"

Sokka flinched away from her then grabbed Momo and held him up towards the sea monster.

"Oh great and powerful sea serpent, please accept this humble and tasty offering!" Sokka called out as he held the lemur up, "Thank you!"

"Sokka!" Katara shouted reproachfully and Sokka winced, dropping Momo to the ground.

The sea monster screeched at them again and lunged towards them, but Aang rushed forward and swung his staff at the creature, knocking it's head back and to the side with a powerful gust of air.

"I'll distract it. Katara, get everyone across." Aang ordered then he snapped open his glider and took off, causing the sea monster to screech and chase after him.

Katara watched him for a moment then she ran forward and quickly froze the water to create a trail of ice that connected to the other side of the Serpent's Pass. Katara gestured for the others to cross and everyone but Toph hurried as quickly as they could over the other side. Katara turned to face the sea serpent and Aang, who was flying in circles around the creature's head. Quickly, Katara jumped into the water and froze her feet, using Waterbending to ski across the water towards the serpent.

Aang stopped circling the creature and flew towards the other side of the pass, the creature screeching and chasing after him. The serpent screeched again then dove into the water and Katara just managed to stay balanced as she propelled herself after the monster. As she pulled up alongside the sea serpent, Katara began to freeze serpent's body, but the ice shattered when the serpent lifted part of its upper body out of the water. Katara quickly whirled around and skied away when the serpent began chasing her in retaliation.

On the ice bridge, Sokka was urging the others to run ahead of him and he turned around to look at Toph, who was still on the small circle of earth.

"Toph, c'mon!" he shouted at her urgently, "It's just ice!"

Toph tentatively put her foot on the ice bridge then jerked it back on the patch of earth when she saw that her 'sight' would be restricted.

"Actually, I'm going to stay here on my little island where I can see!" Toph shouted back only to scream loudly when the serpent's body suddenly slammed down behind her, destroying half of the little island.

"Okay, I'm coming!" She yelped and tentatively began shuffling sideways across the ice, her arms held out for balance.

"You're doing great!" Sokka called out encouraging, "Just follow the sound of my voice!"

"It's hard to ignore!" Toph retorted sarcastically as she continued her slow shuffle.

"You're almost there!" Sokka shouted reassuringly then he gave a surprised should when the serpent suddenly slammed down on the ice trail, shattering it and dropping Toph in the water.

"Help!" Toph screamed as she struggled to stay above water, "I can't swim!"

"I'm coming, Toph!" Sokka shouted as he began taking off his boot, only to freeze when Suki ran past him and dove into the water, swimming towards Toph.

"Help!" Toph cried out again just before she slipped below the water.

Suki quickly dove below the water and grabbed Toph by her underarms and the Kyoshi Warrior pulled the blind Earthbender up. Toph gasped and clung to her rescuer tightly.

"Oh, Sokka, you saved me!" Toph exclaimed then kissed Suki's cheek, thinking it was Sokka.

Suki chuckled semi-awkwardly, "Actually, it was me."

"Oh…well…" Toph stuttered then she chuckled in embarrassment and slumped against the older girl, "You can go ahead and let me drown now."

Suki smiled slightly and began swimming towards the others with her arm carefully wrapped around Toph to keep her above the water.

Meanwhile, Aang and Katara managed to create a whirlpool around the sea serpent by rapidly running across the water in a circle around it. The monster screeched as it was spun and tossed around, its screeching being abruptly cut off when the force of the whirlpool slammed it into the side of the mountain and it fell back below the water, where it swam away. Seeing that the serpent was gone, Aang snapped open his glider and Katara grabbed hold of him, the two flying back towards the others. The group cheered happily as Aang and Katara flew past them then the group continued to travel through the rest of the Serpent's Pass.

* * *

"There's the wall!" Sokka shouted excitedly as the group came to the end of the Serpent's Pass and they could see the wall of Ba Sing Se in the distance, "Now it's nothing but smooth sailing to Ba Sing Se."

Ying suddenly groaned in pain and her knees buckled, her husband just barely catching.

"Oh no!" She gasped as she clutched at her rounded stomach.

"What's wrong?" Sokka asked worriedly and she groaned in pain again.

"The baby's coming!" She gasped, her husband and sister-in-law carefully lowering her to the ground.

"What?" Sokka yelped in distress, "Now? Can't you hold it in or something?"

"Sokka, calm down." Katara chided lightly as she walked forward, "I helped Gran-Gran deliver lots of babies back home."

"This isn't the same as delivering an arctic seal!" Sokka shouted as he began waving his arms around, "This is a real…human…_thing_!"

"It's called a baby and I help her deliver plenty of those, too." Katara replied drily then she began issuing orders, "Aang, get some rags. Sokka, water. Toph, In need you to make an earth tent, a big one."

Aang and Sokka rushed away to do as the Waterbender ordered while Toph made a large earth tent around Ying, her husband, and her sister-in-law. Katara nodded in approval and walked towards the small crack that was just large enough for a person to enter.

"Suki," The dark-haired girl called over her shoulder, "Come with me."

Suki followed the slightly younger girl into the earth tent, leaving Toph to wait outside for the boys.

* * *

Zuko stood at the helm of the ferry and stared out the fog that covered the water as the ferry approached Ba Sing Se.

"You know, as soon as I saw your scar, I knew exactly who you were." Jet commented suddenly as he approached Zuko.

Zuko tensed and glanced at the other boy as Jet came to a stop beside him.

"You're an outcast, like me." Jet continued as he too stared out at the fog, "And us outcasts have to stick together. We have to watch each other's back. Because no one else will."

"I've realized lately that being on your own isn't always the best path." Zuko stated calmly, his thoughts turning towards his uncle and the annoying white-haired girl that he found himself tolerating more and more with each day that he spent in her company.

The two young men stared quietly as the wall became clear through the fog. Zuko glanced over his shoulder slightly when he heard soft footsteps coming towards him and Jet, his gold eyes narrowing then softening every-so-slightly when he saw Xiaodan standing a few feet away behind them. The white-haired girl smiled faintly at him and walked closer until she was standing on his other side, the back of her hand gently brushing his as the three stared at the approaching wall in silence.

Jet looked at the girl from the corner of his eye, observing her for a moment. Something about her was nagging at the back of his thoughts but he pushed it away for the moment.

* * *

Ying panted heavily and clutched her husband's and her sister-in-law's hands tightly as sweat glistened on her forehead.

"You're doing great, Ying." Katara said encouragingly as she kneeled in front of the older woman's bent knees then she called over her shoulder, "Sokka, where that water?"

Katara turned back to the laboring woman, "Now get ready to push. One…two…"

Sokka entered the earth tent with the bowl of water in his hand and his eyes widening.

"Three…push!" Katara called out and Ying groaned as she pushed, Sokka fainting behind his sister a moment later.

* * *

The soft sound of a baby crying reach Aang, Sokka, and Toph's ears as the three sat outside the earth tent. Sokka was holding a damp rag to his face, his head shaking slowly as he tried to get rid of the mental image from his mind.

"It's a girl!" They heard Katara exclaimed a moment later.

"So, you want to go see the baby, or are you going to faint like an old lady again?" Toph asked Sokka in amusement.

"No, no," Sokka said hurriedly as he got to his feet, "I'm good this time."

The two entered the earth tent and a few second later, Katara appeared at the entrance.

"Aang," She said quietly with a small smile as she looked down at the boy, "You have to come see this."

Aang hesitated a moment then he grabbed his staff and got to his feet. He walked quietly into the earth tent with his head slightly bowed. A soft cry caused him to pause just inside the tent's entrance and he looked up, his gaze settling on his friends standing around the family.

"She sounds healthy." Toph commented with a grin as she rubbed at her chin slightly.

"She's beautiful." Katara added sweetly as she looked down at the baby.

"It's so…squishy looking." Sokka said with a perplexed look as he looked down at the baby in Ying's arms.

When his eyes settled on the newborn baby, a smile began to form on Aang's face and he suddenly found himself wishing Xiaodan was here so she could see this.

"What should we name her?" Tahn asked his wife softly as he lightly ran his finger down his baby's cheek.

"I want our daughter's name to be unique." Ying murmured thoughtfully, "I want it to mean something."

Aang's smile widened slightly and he quickly wiped the tears he felt well up in his eyes away as he took a few steps forward.

"I've been going through a really hard time lately." The young Airbender said quietly, "But you've made me…_hopeful_ again."

Ying smiled up at Aang then looked down at her baby, "I know the perfect name. Hope."

"That's a perfect name." Tahn said affectionately, "Hope."

The teens all smiled and nodded quietly at the name.

* * *

"I thought I was trying to be strong." Aang said quietly as he stood in front of Katara several feet away from Toph, Sokka, and Suki, who were standing beside the tent, "But really I was just running away from my feelings. Seeing this family together, so full of happiness and love, it's reminded me how I feel about Appa and Xia…And how I feel about you."

Katara smiled faintly as a few tears escaped her eyes and the two embraced, her eyes still watery. The other three approached them and they broke apart.

"I promise, I'll find Appa as fast as I can." Aang stated then took his staff when Toph held it out to him, "I just really need to do this."

"See you in the big city." Sokka quipped with a small grin as he put a hand on Aang's shoulder.

"Say hi to that big fuzzball for me." Toph added with grin then she punched Aang in the arm, causing him to wince slightly.

"You'll find him, Aang." Katara remarked reassuringly as she smile at him, "Him and Xia."

"I know. Thank you, Katara." Aang replied with his own smile then he snapped his glider open and looked down at Momo, "You ready, Momo?"

Momo chittered quietly and the two flew off, heading towards Ba Sing Se. The other four teens waved goodbye as they waved Aang and Momo fly away. Once they were out of sight, Suki walked over to Sokka.

"Sokka, it's been really great to see you again." She said with a small smile.

"Whoa, hold on." Sokka stated in confusion as he looked at the young woman, "Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?"

"I came along because I wanted to make sure you got through the Serpent's Pass safely." Suki explained gently, "But now I need to get back to the other Kyoshi Warriors."

"So you came along to protect me?" Sokka asked and Suki nodded.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about last night." Suki said awkwardly as she stood in front of Sokka, "We were talking…and saying things…and I just got carried away and before I knew it-"

She was abruptly cut off when Sokka kissed her.

"You talk too much." Sokka muttered when he pulled away a few moments later and Suki smiled.

The two shared another deep kiss, their arms wrapping around each other tightly.

* * *

Aang smiled slightly as he and Momo flew to the top of the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se, where they landed. Aang snapped his glider closer and held his arms out as he turned in his a slow circle, taking everything in. His arms dropped to his sides and he stared in horrified shock at the massive drill with the Fire Nation insignia on it heading straight for the wall.

Aang's expression fell and he looked at Momo, who was perched on his shoulder.

"Sorry, Momo," The young Airbender apologized quietly, "Appa's going to have to wait."

* * *

**Author's Note: Phew! So sorry this took so long to get out, but I'd hit a small roadblock, which I'm happy to say that I managed to climb over. Anyhooties, just some random news, but my female cockatiel had a clutch of eggs a few weeks ago and the first one hatched the other day, so that was the cause of some excitement in my household. The chick is only the size of a large marble right now and it's so fuzzy, it's just an adorably ugly little thing. If anyone has seen what a baby bird looks like, you'll get what I mean. Anyhooties, cute little Zukia/Xiabug moments in this chapter, that I hope y'all enjoyed. Next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 13: The Drill and I'll try to update soon.**

**PS – On a side note, I'm going to see Jurassic Park 3D with my family tomorrow, which is exciting. I was wondering if any of you lovely readers had wanted to see it.**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are awesome-sauce!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**MidnightWolf191: **Ugh, that's sucks! I think I would go brain-dead if I couldn't write my stories. Anyhooties, I'm glad you like the story so far and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter, even though that episode makes you sad. I totally agree with you, that stupid Sandbender totally got what he deserved, though I think Xia would have sent him flying for making her brother cry. Anyhooties, I don't think Xia likes Jet very much, at least she doesn't completely trust him. You know, I'm not sure when I'll have Xia meet back up with the GAang, I kinda want her to be there during Zuko's 'transformation' but I'm not sure yet. I'm also not sure about what I'm gonna do with Jet, since he technically did die in the series (at least that's what the little commentary bubble said when I watched that episode on TV), so I don't really know what I'll do there either. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**LadyAmazon: **I know right? It's sad because of Aang's pain and yet you can't help but laugh at a doped-up Sokka. Yup, Xia and Aang's bond is pretty deep, they might not necessarily know what exactly is going on with the other, but they can general sense when something's wrong if the feeling is strong enough. Anyhooties, I'm so sorry it's taking me so long to get your one-shot finished, I'll try to write it up as I watch the series for the upcoming chapters. On a side note, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Dream lighting: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Don't worry, Xia and Aang will meet back up again soon, I think. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Unicorn on Fire:** Haha, yup, Zuko and Xia in a flowerpot together, what could they get up to. XD Hahahaha, that was my all-time favorite part of the entire episode, I always wind up crying from laughing so hard. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**LEbondy02: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked the fluffy Zukia moments in the last chapter. Xiaodan is roughly pronounced shi ah oh d'ah n or shuh-ow-dan, I think. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

Lillylillyfairfax: Thanks, I'll try to keep updating as regularly as possible with my dad's laptop until I get mine fixed. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

Ambrosia Maestro: Haha, glad you liked that little part! I hope you like the Xiabug moments in this chapter!

Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: I know, poor Aang and Momo. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

Becky: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter despite the long wait. Haha, gotta love Sokka doped up on cactus juice. XD Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

Slightly Crazy Author: Thank you, I'm glad you like the story so far! I hope you like the new chapter too!

88dragon06: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you liked the little Zukia moments in this chapter too. :)

XxrudexbutxnicexX: Thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far! I hope you liked this chapter!

XxBookXxWormXx: I'm glad you like the story so far! To answer your question, the girl on my profile is just a cool drawing I saw on photobucket while looking for good pictures to represent my many characters, I don't know if she's from anywhere, but I don't think she is. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

Cat of Flames: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the blushing and hand-holding bits, they were pretty fun to write. Anyhooties, I hope you liked the fluffy Zukia moments in this chapter!


	34. Chapter 34: The Drill

**AN: Chapter 34 takes place during Season 2 Episode 13: The Drill. Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

* * *

Several Fire Nation tanks flanked the large metal drill as they rumbled across the rocky terrain. The drill followed behind the tanks slowly, several sections of the drill extending then retracting to propel it forward, towards the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se.

"This drill is a feat of scientific ingenuity and raw destructive power." War Master Qin all but gloated as he stood in front of Princess Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai in the drill's command module, "Once it tunnels through the wall, our troops will storm the city. The Earth Kingdom will finally fall, and you can claim Ba Sing Se in the name of your father. Nothing can stop us."

"Hmm…" Ty Lee hummed quietly as she looked out of the periscope at several Earth Kingdom troops that are Earthbending large trenches in front of the wall, "What about those muscle-y guys down there?"

"Please." Qin drawled as he walked over to the acrobat and he hit the periscope with his knuckle, "The drill's metal shell is impervious to any Earthbending attack."

Ty Lee recoiled with a startled gasp then she glared at the War Master in annoyance, a pout forming on her lips.

"Oh, I'm sure it is, War Master Qin, but just to be on the safe side…"Azula said then she addressed her two friends sharply, "Mai and Ty Lee, take the Earthbenders out!"

"Finally," Mai muttered blandly as she swung one of her knives around her finger and she got to her feet, "Something to do."

Ty Lee giggled quietly and followed her expressionless friend out of the command module.

* * *

Katara led her brother, Toph, and Tahn's family towards the wall. The dark-haired Waterbender lifted her head and blinked in surprise when she saw Aang and Momo flying towards them.

"Aang," She said in surprise when he landed in front of her and he snapped his glider closed, "What are you doing here? I thought you were looking for Appa."

"I was." Aang replied and he looked off to the side as Momo landed on his shoulder, "But something stopped me. Something big."

Katara looked at him in confusion but the young Airbender didn't say anything as he took the lead and he led the group back towards the wall. When they reached the base of the Outer Wall, Toph and Aang Earthbended the section of ground they were standing on and began lifting it up the wall towards the top.

"Now what's so big that Appa has to wait?" Sokka asked curiously from beside Toph as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked over at his friend.

"That." Aang replied and he nodded his head towards the massive Fire Nation drill heading towards the Outer Wall in the distance.

The group reached the top of the Outer Wall and they hopped off the section of earth, looking out at the approaching drill and tanks.

"We made it to Ba Sing Se and we're still not safe." Ying sobbed despairingly as she clutched her new baby to her chest and her family huddled around her, "No one is!"

"What are you people doing here?" An Earthbender guard suddenly demanded when he spotted the group, "Civilians aren't allowed on the wall!"

Aang turned towards the guard and he stepped forward, "I'm the Avatar. Take me to whoever is in charge."

* * *

"It is an honor to welcome you to the Outer Wall," General Sung stated happily as he sat behind his desk and he looked at the four teens standing in front of him, "But your help is not needed."

"Not needed?" Aang demanded in surprise and he looked at the general like he was crazy.

"_Not _needed. I have the situation under control." General Sung repeated firmly as he got to his feet and he walked out from under the roof of his office, gesturing towards the wall, "I assure you the Fire Nation cannot penetrate this wall. Many have tried to break through it, but none have succeeded."

"What about the Dragon of the West?" Toph asked drily as she thought about her friend, "He got it."

"Well…uh, technically yes, but he was quickly expunged." The general agreed in a taken-aback tone then his tone became confident, "Nevertheless, that is why the city is named Ba Sing Se. It's the 'impenetrable city.' They don't call it Na Sing Se."

He laughed at his joke then he became serious, "That means, 'penetrable city.'"

"Yeah, thanks for the tour," Toph drawled sarcastically as she folded her arms over her chest, "But we still got the drill problem."

"Not for long." General Sung responded smugly, "To stop it, I've sent an elite platoon of Earthbenders called the Terra Team."

Sokka cupped his chin with a thoughtful expression as he looked at the general, "That's a good group name. Very catchy."

Katara rolled her eyes in exasperation at her brother.

* * *

The Terra Team began to launch their assault on the Fire Nation drill and the tanks. They rode on waves of rock and earth, taking out one tank as they got closer to the drill.

"Ready!" The leader shouted as they dropped the rock waves and prepared to attack the drill, "Attack!"

The group of Earthbenders used Earthbending to wedge large spikes of rock into the metal shell of the drill in an attempt to stop it. At first, they thought they had succeeded until the drill's segments suddenly separated and caused the spiked to crumble. The Earthbenders ducked their heads and raised their arms to avoid the falling rocks. They lowered their arms and lifted their heads just in time to see two girls slip out of the drill and slid down the metal shell towards them. The Terra Team just managed to throw up shields of earth to defend themselves against the flying knives on of the girls hurled at them.

The girl in pink jumped off the side of the drill and she flipped gracefully through the air, landing lithely on her feet. One of the Earthbenders launched a small wave of rocks at her, but the girl easily jumped into the air and somersaulted, landing beside the Earthbender that had attacked her. She smiled when he whirled around to face her and, still smiling, she jabbed his pressure points easily.

Five more Earthbenders attacked her by launching some boulders at her, but she jumped out of the way again. They had no time to prepare when she suddenly landed in the middle of them and began jabbing various pressure points with her knuckles. The girl in pink smiled cheerfully as she stood in the middle of the fallen team of Earthbenders, completely unharmed.

* * *

General Sung blanched and he recoiled from telescope he'd been looking out of, witnessing the Terra Team's defeat.

"We're doomed!" He cried out in panic as he began flailing his arms around.

Sokka slapped the general across the face, "Get a hold of yourself, man!"

"You're right." General Sung said as he rubbed his reddening cheek, "I'm sorry."

"Maybe you'd like the Avatar's help _now_?" Toph asked sarcastically and she crossed her arms over her chest.

General Sung shuffled forward to stand in front the young Avatar with his head bowed humbly, "Yes, please."

* * *

"The question is, how are we going to stop that thing?" Aang asked aloud as he stood at the edge of the wall with his three friends, looking out at the approaching drill.

Aang, Toph, and Katara all turned their heads to look at Sokka standing at the end with his arms crossed. Sokka blinked and he looked at his sister and two friends.

"Why are you all looking at me?" He demanded in confusion.

"You're the idea guy." Aang replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So I'm the only one who can ever come up with a plan?" Sokka complained with a huff, "That's a lot of pressure."

"And also the complaining guy." Katara quipped with a small smile.

Sokka shrugged nonchalantly, "That part I don't mind."

* * *

The large woman with a mole on her forehead looked at the three passports in her hand critically then she looked at the three individuals standing in front of her.

"So Miss Xin, Mr. Lee and Mr. ummm…Mushy, is it?" She asked and she looked at Iroh curiously.

"It's pronounce Mushi." Iroh corrected her with a small smile.

The woman leaned forward slightly and gave him an annoyed look, "You telling me how to do my job?"

"Uh, no, no." Iroh said hurried and he quickly approached the ticket booth, giving the woman a flirtatious look, "But may I just say you're like a flower in bloom. Your beauty is intoxicating."

Xiaodan turned her head to the side and coughed to cover up the giggle that had escaped her lips, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. She saw Zuko's eyebrow twitch slightly and a scowl was starting to form on his face.

"You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself, handsome. Raorr!" The woman replied back just as flirtatiously and she gave a small flirty growl, "Welcome to Ba Sing Se."

She stamped three tickets and Iroh smiled coyly at her as he took them from the booth. He walked back over to his nephew and young friend with a smug smile on his face.

"I'm going to forget I saw that." Zuko snapped in disgust and he snatched his ticked from his uncle, stopping away from him.

"You old flirt." Xiaodan giggled and took her own ticket from the older man then she trotted after the grumpy prince.

Iroh grinned cheerfully to himself as he trailed after the younger benders, heading towards the monorail that would take them into the city.

* * *

Jet leaned to the side slightly and watched as three he knew as Lee, Mushi, and Xin walked through the archway that led towards the monorail while he waited in line with Smellerbee and Longshot.

"I think Lee would make a good Freedom Fighter. He's just trying to find his way in the world, like us." Jet commented with a smirk as straightened and held his piece of wheat in one hand, "And if we can convince her, I bet Xin would be good addition too."

"You don't know anything about them, Jet." Smellerbee refuted his idea flatly as she looked away from Lee and Xin, her arms crossed over her chest.

"I know he didn't get that scar from a Waterbender." He retorted and he rolled his eyes.

Smellerbee ignored his comment, "Besides, I thought we were going straight now."

"We are," Jet said reassuringly as he looked at his friend, "And the new Freedom Fighters could use a guy like Lee. What do you think, Longshot?"

The archer looked at him silently with a meaningfully expression on his face and he blinked slowly.

Jet nodded, "I can respect that."

* * *

Katara kneeled beside the cot and attempted to heal one of the Terra Team's members with Waterbending.

"What's wrong with him?" General Sung asked worriedly as he stood with Aang, Toph, and Sokka, "He doesn't look injured."

"His chi is blocked." Katara stated and she stopped trying to heal the Earthbender, "Who did this to you."

"Two girls ambushed us." The Earthbender said and he winced when he tried to move, "One of them hit me with a bunch of quick jabs and suddenly I could Earthbend anymore and I could barely move. Then she cartwheeled away."

Katara frowned then her eyes widened in realization and she looked off to the side with small frown.

"Ty Lee." She stated darkly, "She doesn't look dangerous, but she knows the human body and its weak points. It's like she takes you down from the inside."

Sokka pursed his lips then he gasped as an idea came to him and he started dancing around excitedly.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh! Ooh!"

His sister looked at him oddly, "Yes?"

"What you just said!" Sokka exclaimed excitedly as he pointed at his sister, "That's how we're going to take down the drill! The same way Ty Lee took down all those big Earthbenders!"

"By hitting its pressure points!" Toph said and she hit the palm of her hand with her fist as a smile appeared on her face.

Aang looked out over the wall with a determined look, "We'll take it down from the inside."

* * *

Toph, Katara, Sokka, and Aang stood behind one of the trenches at the base of the wall. Toph gestured towards the drill with one hand.

"Once I whip up some cover, you're not going to be able to see." She explained carefully, "So, stay close to me."

The blind Earthbender leapt over the trench while her friends jumped into it. Toph stood in a horse-stance and closed her eyes, her hands raised as she slowly began to lift them up then she leapt up and stomp her foot on the ground, sending up a mass of flying debris towards the drill.

"Run!"

Toph ran into the debris cloud with Katara, Aang, and Sokka racing after her.

* * *

Ty Lee peered out of the periscope curiously at the dust cloud.

"Hey, look at that dust cloud. It's so…poofy." She said then she looked away from the periscope and she wiggled her fingers, "Poof!"

"Don't worry, Princess." War Master Qin stated calmly, "I'm sure it's nothing."

Azula narrowed her eyes and she gave him a doubtful look, but she didn't say anything on the matter.

* * *

The four friends stopped beside the drill and Toph quickly Earthbended a hole in the ground.

"Everyone into the hole!" She ordered and she jumped into the hole.

Katara, Aang, and Sokka followed her and the ground above them closed, leaving them in total darkness.

"It's so dark in here, I can't see a thing!" Sokka whined.

"Oh no," Toph snapped sarcastically, "What a nightmare."

"Sorry." The young Water Tribe boy apologized sheepishly.

Toph rolled her blind eyes and opened another hole beneath the drill. The four run underneath the metal monster until Sokka spotted an opening.

"There!"

Aang leapt up onto the bar that was hanging from the opening and he flipped upside down from by his legs. Katara ran forward and he hoisted her into the drill followed by Sokka. The young Airbender hung upside down and waited for Toph to move, but she didn't.

"Toph," Sokka called out as he poked his head out of the drill, "Come on!"

"No way am I going into that metal monster." Toph responded tightly, "I can't bend in there. I'll try to slow it down out here."

"Okay, good luck!" Sokka agreed then he and Aang disappeared into the drill.

Toph quickly Earthbend a thick rock spike into the drill and she put her hands against it in an attempt to the keep the drill from moving forward, but it was proving to be a difficult task.

* * *

Sokka led his sister and Aang through a tunnel of valves and pipes in the drill.

"I need a plan of this machine." He said as he stopped beside one of the pipes, "Some schematics that show what the inside looks like. Then we can find its weak points."

"Where are we going to get something like that?" Aang asked curiously.

Sokka unsheathed his machete and suddenly used it to cut off a steam valve, sending a cloud of steam into the air.

"What are you doing?" Aang demanded in shock, "Someone's going to hear us!"

"That's the point." Sokka replied with a grin, "I figure a machine this big needs engineers to run it. And when something breaks…"

He trailed off and Katara blinked in realization.

"They come to fix it!" She said with a grin and Sokka nodded.

Katara and Aang grinned at each then the three teens settled into wait. A few moments later, a Fire Nation engineer wearing a mask walked down the misty hallway towards the site of the damage.

"Hi." Katara said as she suddenly appeared behind the engineer and when he turned she froze the mist with Waterbending, covering the engineer in a thin layer of ice.

Sokka ran up to the frozen man and snatched the schematics from his hands.

"This'll work." He said with a grin as he ran back the way he had come with his sister, "Thanks!"

The engineer watched helplessly as the trio ran off, his spear falling from his hand.

* * *

"It looks like the drill is made up of two main structures." Sokka commented as he, Aang, and Katara studied the schematics, "There's the inner mechanism where we are now and the outer shell. The inner part and the outer part are connected by these braces. If we cut through them, the entire thing will collapse."

Katara and Aang nodded in agreement to his plan and Sokka rolled the schematics back up.

* * *

Xiaodan sat between Iroh and Zuko on a bench at the monorail station, waiting for their train into the city. The white-haired Airbender yawned and unconsciously rested her head against Zuko's shoulder, oblivious to the way he tensed slightly.

Zuko glanced down at the top of the girl's head resting on his shoulder as he leaned against the pillar behind the circular bench he, his uncle, and Xiaodan were sitting on, his arms crossed over his chest. The banished prince exhaled quietly from his nose, but he didn't push her off his shoulder and he instead looked back towards the rails to wait for the train. He was distracted from staring blankly in front of him when Jet walked over and sat beside him. Xiaodan lifted her head to look at the shaggy haired teen then she laid her head back on Zuko's shoulder, dismissing the other boy without a word.

"So, you guys got plans once you're inside the city?" Jet asked casually as he crossed his arms loosely over his chest.

"Sleeping sounds like a good plan to me." Xiaodan quipped without lifting her head and Zuko nudged her side lightly with his elbow.

The white-haired girl huffed quietly, but she was too tired to lift her head.

"Get your hot tea here!" A man yelled out pleasantly as he pushed a small tea-cart passed the four, "Finest tea in Ba Sing Se."

"Ooh!" Iroh gasped excitedly and he waved his hand to get the tea-seller's attention, "Jasmine please."

Xiaodan smiled slightly at the kooky, tea-loving old man as he grinned goofily. The tea-seller walked over to Iroh and poured the tea into a leaf cup, then he handed it to the older man. Iroh took a sip of the tea then he grimaced in repulsion.

"Blaugh! Ugh, coldest tea in Ba Sing Se is more like it" He spat and he shook his head in disappointment, "What a disgrace."

Xiaodan lifted her head and giggled quietly behind her hand while she placed her other hand comfortingly on Iroh's shoulder.

"Hey," Jet said suddenly, pulling Zuko's attention away from the white-haired girl and his uncle, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Jet stood and motioned for Zuko to follow him. Zuko glanced at his uncle and Xiaodan briefly then he sighed and reluctantly got to his feet. The two teenage boys walked several feet away from Iroh's and Xiaodan's spot, Zuko moving so his back was to them while Jet stood in front of him. He could feel his uncle's and Xiaodan's curious gaze on his back, but he ignored it for the moment.

"You and I have a much better chance of making it in the city if we stick together." Jet stated bluntly and he smirked at Zuko as he put his hands on his hips, "You wanna join the Freedom Fighters?"

"Thanks, but I don't think you want me in your gang." Zuko replied vaguely and he shifted so he could see his uncle and his white-haired friend out of the corner of his eye.

"C'mon, we made a great team looting that captain's food." Jet said in an attempted to persuade the other teen, "Think of all the good we could do for these refugees."

Zuko started walking back to the other two and he called over his shoulder, "I said no."

* * *

Jet frowned slightly as he watched the other teen walk away, "Have it your way."

Jet's gaze flickered over to the white-haired girl, who was leaning against the pillar behind the bench with her hands behind her head and her eyes shut. His brows furrowed slightly when he caught sight of the old man beside her sipping at the leaf cup, steam rising from it. Jet's eyes went wide with shock and realization when he remembered that the old man had said the tea was cold.

* * *

Zuko scowled as he stomped over to his uncle and friend. He glanced over his shoulder slightly, catching sight of Jet. He saw the other teen's eyes narrow then he turned and walked away. Angrily, Zuko knocked the teacup out of his uncle's hand, startling Xiaodan enough that she straightened and looked up at him with wide, molten orange eyes.

"What are you doing Firebending your tea?" The banished prince hissed through gritted teeth as he glared at his uncle, "For a wise, old man, that was a pretty stupid move."

"Iroh!" Xiaodan gasped quietly and she gave him a chiding look, but the old man was staring sadly at the cup of tea on the ground.

"I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled tea, but…" He sniffed slightly, "It's just so sad!"

Xiaodan made a disbelieving noise and she covered her face with her hands, shaking her head slightly while Zuko scowled even harder at his uncle.

* * *

Sokka led Katara and Aang through a door and onto a massive steel beam in the interior of the drill. He looked at the opened schematics in his hand then up at the thick steel pillar in front of him.

"Wow, it looks a lot thicker in person than it does in the plans." He commented in surprise then folded the schematics and looked at his sister and friend with a grin, "We're going to have work pretty hard to cut through that."

"What's this 'we' stuff?" Katara demanded with a quirked brow as she put her hands on her hips, "Aang and I are going to have to all the work."

"Look, I'm the plan guy. You two are the cut stuff up with Waterbending guys." Sokka stated matter-of-factly then he did a ridiculous pose, "Together, we're Team Avatar!"

Katara and Aang shot each other awkward and bemused looks while Sokka wasn't looking then Aang quickly moved to the other side of the steel pillar while Katara walked closer. The Waterbender bended the water from her pouch and she and Aang began sending it back-and-forth, slicing through the metal sharply.

* * *

What felt like hours later, Katara and Aang paused to take a break, both of them bent over in exhaustion while the brace was only sliced halfway through.

"C'mon team! Don't quit now." Sokka said encouragingly from behind his sister, "We're-"

"Grr!" Katara cut him off with an angry growl as she whirled around, threatening to hit him with her water whip.

Sokka stepped back and held his hands up defensively, "I mean…you're almost there."

Katara gave him another hard look then she and Aang went back to slicing the brace. As the cut through the brace enlarges with each lash of the water whip, Sokka became more and more eager. Finally, after what seems like forever, Katara and Aang cut clean through the brace. The three watch eagerly as the brace slid forward and, to their disappointment, stopped after budging only mere inches from its original position.

"At this rate," Katara panted tiredly, "We won't do enough damage before the drill reaches the wall."

Aang groaned and sat down on the beam he was standing on with a thump.

"I don't know how many more of those I have in me." He said tiredly then he perked up when the drill suddenly creaked ominously.

"Do you hear that?" Sokka asked then his tone became excited, "We took it down! We better get out of here fast!"

The trio ran for the door, but stopped before they reached it when a loud voice suddenly came through from the overhead speaking tubes.

"_Congratulations, crew. The drill has made contact with the wall of Ba Sing Se."_

* * *

War Master Qin stood in front of the speaking tubes in the command module with a smirk on his face as he made the announcement, "Start the countdown to victory!"

Cheers erupted from crew all over the drill at the news. Azula's eyes narrowed as she sat on throne like chair at the back of the command module, a threateningly determined expression on her face.

* * *

Aang, Katara, and Sokka looked at each other in dismay and shock. Sokka spun around and ran back towards the brace. He began pushing it against it desperately.

"C'mon brace…budge!" He grunted and made several more attempts to move the thick metal pillar.

"This is bad, _really_ bad." Katara said worriedly as she stood with Aang behind her brother.

"We're putting everything we've got into busting these braces, but it's taking too long!" Sokka remarked in a panic.

Aang's eyes suddenly widened and he looked at the two siblings.

"Maybe we don't need to cut all the way through. Toph has been teaching me that you shouldn't give one hundred percent of your energy into any one strike." He said, starting to get excited, "Sokka, take a fighting stance."

Sokka did as Aang said and the young Airbender walked over to him.

"You've got to be quick and accurate. Hit a series of points and break your opponent's stance." Aang explained then he struck Sokka several time, surprising the older boy, "And when he's reeling back, you deliver the final blow."

Aang hit Sokka lightly on the head with a grin, "His own weight becomes his downfall, literally.

While Aang spoke, Sokka kneeled beside him with a glazed look on his face.

"So we just need to weaken the braces, instead of cutting all the way through." Katara clarified and Aang nodded.

"Then I'll go to the top of this thing and deliver the final blow."

Sokka jumped to his feet, "And boom! It all comes crashing down!"

"Everyone inside that wall." Aang said quietly, "The whole world is counting on us."

"The whole world minus the Fire Nation that is." Sokka quipped with a grin and the other two stared at each other.

* * *

Toph stood under the drill, putting all her strength into keeping the rock column stable as the force of the drill slowly pushed her back.

"C'mon, Twinkle Toes, hurry up!" She grunted as she continued to strain and be pushed back by the drill.

* * *

Aang and Katara made rapid progresses as they sliced halfway through multiple braces, weakening them.

"That's enough!" Aang said as he stopped slicing through the current brace, "We need to get to the next one!"

Katara nodded and the two ran towards the next brace.

* * *

War Master Qin watched from the command module as Earthbenders sent boulders down at the drill from the wall without any effect. Suddenly, one of the engineer's voices filtered through the speaking tubes, grabbing the War Minster's attention.

"War Minster, an engineer was ambushed! His schematics were stolen!"

War Minster Qin's eyes went wide in surprise while Azula's golden orbs narrowed dangerously on his back.

"War Minster!" A second engineer shouted from the speaking tubes, "A brace on the starboard side has been cut clean through! It's sabotage, sir!"

"Let's go, ladies." Azula said sharply as she stood and led her two friends out of the command module, leaving the nervous War Minster alone.

* * *

Katara and Aang continued slicing through the last brace while Sokka stood behind them.

"Good work, Team Avatar! Now Aang just need to…" Sokka cheered then he glanced up and he shouted in horror, "Duck!"

Sokka ducked and covered his head just in time to avoid the blue fireball that was launched at him by Azula. The Fire Nation princess ran across the metal beam above the trios followed by Mai and Ty Lee.

"Whoa!" Aang gasped as he barely dodged another fire blast.

"Wow, Azula, you were right! It _is_ the Avatar!" Ty Lee exclaimed then she smiled flirtatiously at Sokka, "And friends."

Sokka smiled sheepishly and waved, "Hey."

Katara rolled her eyes and walked over to her brother, dragging him away with an annoyed look. Azula and Mai run in the same direction that Katara and Sokka had gone in while Ty Lee smiled and jumped off the side of the beam, grabbing the bottom and swinging herself towards Aang. Aang quickly twisted around and sent a blast of air at her, sending her flying away from him then he ran after his two friends.

The trio raced through the drill's hallways and away from the three Fire Nation girls. The three come across an intersection in the hall and they stop, looking around hurriedly.

"Guys, get out of here." Aang ordered, "I know what I need to do."

"Wait." Katara called out, causing Aang to pause and she tossed her water skin at him, "You need this water more than I do."

Aang caught the water skin then he began running again while Katara and Sokka ran in the opposite direction just as Azula and her friends reached the intersection.

"Follow them!" Azula barked and she ran after the Avatar, "The Avatar's mine!"

Mai and Ty Lee chased after the Water Tribe siblings.

* * *

Sokka and Katara panted slightly as they reached the end of the hallway they had run down, a closed hatch keeping them blocked in. Sokka rushed forward and began struggling to open the hatch, Katara moved over to a nearby sigh.

"Slurry pipe?" She read in confusion, "What does that mean?"

Sokka finally opened the hatch and he looked into the canal it led to.

"It's rock and water mixed together." He said quickly, "It means our way out!"

The siblings quickly began to descend into the pipe just as Mai and Ty Lee appeared at the other end of the hallway. Katara and Sokka just barely managed to escape into the canal full of slurry in time to avoid the flurry of daggers Mai threw at them and they floated through the slurry.

Mai and Ty Lee ran towards the hatch and the two peered into the pipeline.

"Ugh, disgusting!" Mai groaned in repulsion as she recoiled slightly.

"C'mon!" Ty Lee urged her friend, "You heard Azula. We have to follow them!"

Mai sneered slightly, "She can shoot all the lightning she wants at me. I am not going into that wall sludge juice."

Ty Lee rolled her eyes slightly then she leapt through the pipeline and into the slurry. Mai shuddered in disgust and closed the hatch on her friend.

* * *

In another part of the drill, Aang raced swiftly past several engineers, using Airbending to make him faster as he tried to find another way out of the drill so he could deliver the final blow.

* * *

Katara and Sokka gasped as the slurry rushed out of the rear of the drill. The two slid through the slurry onto the ground, Ty Lee in following them in hot pursuit. Katara quickly pushed herself to her feet and began Waterbending the slurry to stop the flow and plug up the back entrance of the drill, trapping Ty Lee.

"Why don't you try blocking my chi now, circus freak?" Katara called out tauntingly in a spiteful voice.

"Katara, keep that up." Sokka commanded as he too got to his feet, covered in slurry, "The pressure will build up in the drill. Then when Aang delivers the final blow, it'll be ready to pop!"

* * *

Aang finally managed to reach the outside of the drill and he quickly raced towards the end that was drilling into the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se, Momo on his shoulder.

"This looks like a good spot, Momo." The young Airbender commented as he stopped a few feet or so away from where the drill was inside the wall.

He looked up then gasped and jumped out of the way when he saw boulders being hurtled down the wall, nearly crushing him.

"General Sung," Aang yelled as loudly as he good, "Tell your soldiers to stop shooting rocks down here!"

* * *

"Soldiers, whatever you do, don't stop shooting rocks down there!" General Sung ordered his men frantically as he stared down at the drill.

The soldiers nodded and launched another round of rocks towards the drill. Down below, Aang yelped quietly and leapt out of the way of the incoming boulders then he began slicing at the hull of the metal drill using the water from Katara's water pouch.

* * *

"Good technique, little sister!" Sokka cheered as Katara kept the slurry hole plugged while keeping Ty Lee captive in the sludge, "Keep it up! Don't forget to breathe!"

"You know, I'm just about sick and tired of you telling what to do all day!" Katara shouted in annoyance at her brother, "You're like a chattering hog-monkey!"

"Just bend the slurry, woman!"

Katara growled in frustrated and used her other hand to Waterbend a wave of slurry at her brother, knocking him off his feet.

"You guys need some help?" Toph asked with a smirk as she approached the two bickering siblings.

Katara nodded gratefully, ignoring her brother as he sputtered on the ground.

"Toph, help me plug up this drain."

Toph moved so she was standing beside the slightly older girl and together, the two bend the slurry easily, sending Ty Lee farther into the drill while the pipes inside the drill began to expand under the increased pressure.

* * *

Aang panted slightly as he continued to slice through the metal hull with the water-whip.

"What I'd give to be a Metalbender." He commented exhaustedly as he continued to slice.

Momo suddenly shrieked and Aang whirled around, deflecting a blast of blue fire just in time. Aang quickly assumed a fighting stance.

"Momo, get out of here!" The young Airbender barked and Momo screeched again then took off into the air.

Azula suddenly appeared in front of Aang and she assumed her own stance, a smirk on her face. The two stare at each other for several moments then Azula quickly launched a fireball from her fingertips. Aang ducked and spun around, sending a crescent of air at the Fire Nation princess's legs. Azula jumped back slightly then she leapt forward, launching several fireballs, only for Aang to deflect each of them with his water whip. Aang continued to lash out with the water-whip, striking Azula's hands or feet whenever she tried to shoot a fire blast at him.

The princess glared at him then she ran forward and jumped into the air, kicking two blasts of blue fire at the young Avatar before she landed again. Aang quickly brought the water in front of him as a shield, but the fireballs vaporize the water and he was sent flying backwards towards the wall with a yelp.

Azula ran towards him only to jump back again as boulders suddenly began raining down from the top of the wall. The two jumped and dodged the incoming boulders for several moments and Aang looked up, catching sight of a large boulder heading straight for him. Thinking quickly, he used a combination of Airbending to grab the boulder and throw it at Azula. The princess gasped quietly and dropped into a split, the boulder passing harmlessly over her head.

Azula jumped back to her feet and launched another powerful Firebending assault at him. Aang quickly Earthbended the boulders and rocks on the top of the drill into a shield, protecting himself from the fireballs then he began launching the rocks at the princess from behind the safety of the rock shield.

The Fire Nation princess kicked the rocks out of the way with a grunt then she swung her leg around and kicked a stream of blue fire at the Avatar. Aang's eyes went wide and he quickly ducked behind the rock shield again to avoid it then he sent more rocks at Azula. The female Firebender leapt over the rock and somersaulted in midair, fire arcing over her from her feet then she launched the powerful attack at the rock shield.

The blast hit the rock shield, breaking it apart easily and Aang was sent flying backwards. He hit the wall with a grunt and he fell forward, unconsciously. Azula's eyes narrowed and she stared at the bald boy for a moment then she smirked confidently. As the drill broke through the Outer Wall, she sauntered towards the unconscious Avatar, his body partial under the hole in the wall. Fire danced at the tips of her fingers as she prepared to deal a deadly, final strike as she lifted him, holding him against the wall.

Aang suddenly jerked back into consciousness and his eyes went wide. He Earthbended the rocks from the wall around his fist and knocked Azula's hand to the side just before she could send the fireball at his head then he pressed his rock-gauntleted hand against her abdomen and he shoved her away from him. Azula skidded to a stop and she glared at Aang as he took a defensive stance, the rock gauntlet still on his hand. The princess scowled and raced forward, propelling herself faster by shooting streams of blue fire from her hands.

A flood of slurry suddenly erupted from around the drill, coating the too. Azula yelped when the slurry hit her and she went through the sludge, slamming right into Aang as he was getting to his feet after being knocked over by the slurry. The two collided with the wall and the force sends them both sliding off opposite sides of the drill.

Azula gasped as she ground her feet and dug her nails into the drill's side to stop her descent. On the other side of the drill, Aang scrambled to stop his fall but he is unable to get a good grip on the slick metal. Momo suddenly appeared and grabbed his shirt's shoulders, dragging him up the side of the drill to the top with the aid of Airbending.

"Thanks, Momo. I owe you one." Aang said gratefully then he ran over to the cut he had already made in the drill, "Now all I need…"

He jumped back slightly as a boulder fell in front of him, "Actually, that is what I need for once."

Aang quickly used Airbending to position the over the 'x' mark he had made in the drill, then he used Earthbending to cut the rock several times until he had created a wedge that fit inside the middle of the hole. Aang sucked in a deep breath then he sprinted towards the wall, then he created an air-scooter and scaled the wall. He dissipated the air scooter once he reached a certain point and he ran up the wall several more steps then he twisted himself around and with a shout, he propelled himself back down the wall at lightning speed.

Azula caught sight of him as she pulled herself back on top of the drill and with a determined expression, she ran forward several feet. Aang jumped off the wall and curled his legs up in preparation. Azula twisted her body around and shot a powerful blast of blue fire at Aang, missing him by mere seconds as he slammed down on the wedge. The hit created a large ripple effect that forcefully knocked the Fire Nation princess back several feet while the impact of the blow caused the sliced braces inside the drill to collapse and the pipes to burst, releasing a torrent of slurry, which began to seep from the drill.

* * *

At the end of the drill, Katara and Toph remained in their bending stances as they kept plugged the drain with the slurry, Ty Lee still trapped.

"Woohoo!" Sokka cheered when they saw the slurry exploding from the sides of the drill.

"Here it comes!" Toph shouted and Katara looked at her in surprise when she stopped bending the slurry and instead Earthbended herself, Katara, and Sokka onto a rock pillar.

Katara dropped her arms and slurry suddenly gushed from the rear of the drill in a torrent, slamming Ty Lee into the bottom of the rock pillar. Steam began to spew from the drill and the segments began collapsing while on the other side of the Outer Wall, the drill came to a screeching halt.

* * *

Aang stood on top of the rock that was wedged into the drill, complete covered in slurry from head-to-toe. He quickly wiped the slurry from his face and grinned widely while Momo landed on his shoulder and licked his cheek with a happy chitter.

* * *

Slurry slowly slid down the window of the command module and War Master Qin stared out in complete shock and horror.

* * *

Atop the wall, General Sung, covered in muck and slurry, stared down at the stopped drill with wide, gleeful eyes.

* * *

Ty Lee sat up and spat the slurry out of her mouth with a disgusted expression as she wiped her face. Azula slid down the side of the drill, also covered in slurry and she landed beside her acrobatic friend, covering her in more slurry as her gold eyes burned with fury. Suddenly, a hatch on the side opened up and Mai leaned out.

"We lost." She stated drily and Azula glared at her.

* * *

"Last call for Ba Sing Se!" The train conductor shouted from the front of the monorail that would be heading into the city.

Jet stormed towards the train with Smellerbee and Longshot.

"Jet, relax." Smellerbee pleaded with her friend as they walked, "So the old guy had some hot tea. Big deal."

"He heated it himself!" Jet snapped back at her and his tone turned dark, "Those guys are _Firebenders_!"

Jet's eyes narrowed when he spotted Lee, Mushi, and Xin, if that was even their real names, board the train cart behind the one he was getting on.

* * *

Zuko, Xiaodan, and Iroh sat down next to a small family, Xiaodan sitting between the two men. Iroh smiled when he noticed the sleeping infant in the arms of the woman on his other side.

"What a handsome baby." He complimented as he gently stroked the baby's cheek.

Xiaodan leaned around him and smiled when she saw the baby, "Awww…"

"Thank you." The woman said as smiled at Iroh and Xiaodan softly then she looked down at her baby with adoring eyes.

Xiaodan smiled again and she leaned back in her seat, resting her head against Zuko's shoulder again. Zuko tensed slightly when her head touched his shoulder then he slowly relaxed and leaned against her slightly. The white-haired girl smiled secretly and closed her eyes as the train began to move.

* * *

"I just want to say, good effort out there today, Team Avatar!" Sokka praised his friends and sister as they stood at the top of the wall overlooking the sunset.

"Enough with the Team Avatar stuff." Katara groaned in an unamused tone, "No matter how many times you say, it's not going to catch on."

"How about…" Sokka started then he whipped out his boomerang, "the Boomeraang Squad! See, it's good because it's got 'Aang' in it. Boomer_aang_."

Aang grinned at his friend, "I kind of like that one."

Katara sighed and began walking away with Aang, "Let's talk about this on our way into the city."

"The Aang Gang?" Sokka suggested with a grin.

"Sokka…"

"The Fearsome Foursome?"

"There'll be five of us when Xia gets back." Toph stated drily with a shake of her head as she began following Katara, "And you're crazy."

"True, but why am I crazy?" Sokka demanded, "We're fearsome!"

They ignored him and Sokka quickly ran after them.

* * *

**Author's Note: Oh my God, I can't believe it took me so damn long to get this chapter posted. I swear, it was more of a pain in the ass than Sokka is sometimes! Honestly, I was having such a hard time writing it, but I finally finished and I hope it's okay. Cute little Zukia moments and Jet tried to flirt a little with Xia, but she's so not interested. Anyhooties, next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 14: City of Walls and Secrets, I'll try to update soon, so stay tuned!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are freaking awesome-sauce!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**MidnightWolf191: **Thank you, I'm glad you think I'm doing a good job writing this story, it means a lot to see someone say that. Anyhooties, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one too!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Me too, I think she's adorable. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**LadyAmazon: **Thanks, sadly only one of the eggs hatched, that's okay since it was their first clutch and the chick is very healthy, which is all I can ask for. Anyhooties, I hope to have your one-shot written up soon and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter, there are some cute ones in this chapter too, I think. As for your question, I think I'm going to have Zuko go on the date with the girl and maybe have Xia go on a date with another boy, create a little jealous between the two, but I haven't decided yet. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Furionknight: **I hope you liked this chapter!

**Slightly Crazy Author: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I watch the episodes online mostly and the site I use most often is called , you can get almost any anime there. I wish you luck with your AtLA fic, one thing I've found that helps me a lot is .com, you can get everything from episode transcripts to episode summaries there. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: **Thanks, I;m glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, I hope the small fight between Azula and Aang will be okay until I can write up the fight between Zuko and Jet!

**Morsmorde Caster:** Haha, maybe, we'll just have to wait and see. XD I hope you liked this chapter!

**DreamyFlower: **Thanks, I'm glad you like the story and Xia so far! I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Becky: **Haha, most baby birds are butt-ugly with their fuzzy bodies and their too small heads, they look almost alien. Heehee, you'll just have to wait and see what Jet does (or tries to do) with Xia…And wow, that sounded very wrong, even though I meant it in a totally, non-perverted way. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**BookLover695: **Thanks, I hope you liked this chapter!

**XxBookXxWormXx: **Ayup, I haven't decided if she'll rejoin them or just see them from afar, but I know it's going which episode she's going to be doing either of those things in. I agree that Aang probably could use Xia's support right now with Appa gone, but I think it's also good that's she not there, since I want to show that he's growing as an individual and he won't always have his big sister there to make everything better, you know? Haha, I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do about the Mai/Zuko situation other than NOT make it some kind of convoluted love triangle and yes Zuko does have some feelings for Xia, he's just not quite sure what they are yet. I'm glad you liked the picture of Xia too. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Kyoki no Megami: **Haha, that's okay, it happens. Anyhooties, I probably am going to take my time getting Xia back with the GAang, since, you're right, it is a Zuko story. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Cat of Flames: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the Zukia fluff in the last chapter! I hope you liked the little moments they had in this chapter too!

**Sensible One: **I'm glad you like the story so far! Haha, I know what you mean, every time I watch the episode I'm doing a chapter for I keep expecting to actually see Xia in it. XD Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**JadiexGurl: **Haha, so sorry, it's taken me so long to update, I'll try to update sooner. I'm glad you think the story is so good and I'm glad you like Xia's character, she's definitely one of my favorite brain-babies. There will definitely be more Zukia moments coming up, though they'll be small for now, since they're still warming up to each other and they haven't quite gotten passed that platonic-unsure-of-the-other's-feelings stage. Hmm…Honestly, I'm not sure what I'm going to do about Jet. I mean, I want to the story to stay as canon as possible, but at the same time I thought it sucked duck-butt that he died so soon. Also, don't worry about the Jet/Xia moments, there will probably be a few small ones, though how those will turn out is anyone's guess. XD Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Teddy bear 007: **I hope you liked this chapter!


	35. Chapter 35:The City of Walls and Secrets

**AN: Chapter 35 takes place during Season 2 Episode 14: City of Walls and Secrets, enjoy my lovelies!**

* * *

Katara sighed and rubbed tiredly at her sore shoulder as she stared quietly at the floor of the train she, her brother, Aang, and Toph had gotten on only a short while ago. Aang was slumped on the seat beside her, his staff gripped loosely in his hands while Toph and Sokka sat one the seat across from her and him, Momo resting peacefully in Toph's lap. Katara turned her head and she instantly perked up.

"Look, the Inner Wall!" She exclaimed excitedly as she touched Aang's shoulder to get his attention then she, Aang, and Sokka turned to look at the approaching wall, "I can't believe we finally made it to Ba Sing Se in one piece."

"Hey, don't jinx it!" Sokka yelped slightly as he gave his sister a chiding look and he leaned back against his seat, "We can still be attacked by some giant exploding Fire Nation spoon. Or find out the city's been submerged in an ocean full of killer shrimp."

"You been hitting the cactus juice again?" Toph asked in a slightly annoyed joking tone as she stroked Momo's ears.

"I'm just sayin'," Sokka replied nonchalantly with a shrug, "Weird stuff happens to us."

A large man sucking on a piece of corn suddenly ambled down the aisle between seats and he plopped down between Toph and Sokka, startling them both. The two teens cringed slightly away from the man, Toph with a freaked-out expression while Sokka was giving his sister an 'I-told-you-so' look. Katara just rolled her eyes at her brother then she turned to look at Aang, who was leaning sadly against the back of his seat as he stared out the window at the approaching wall.

Aang sighed and closed his eyes sadly, missing the sympathetic look Katara was giving him.

"Don't worry, Aang," She said in a soft reassuring tone, "We'll find Appa and Xia."

The young Airbender looked at her doubtfully, "It's such a big city."

"Xia we might have a hard time finding, but Appa's a giant bison!" Sokka quipped loudly as he walked over to the two, gesturing with his arms, "Where could someone possibly hide him?"

The monorail suddenly entered the Inner Wall and the three teens stared out the window in shock as it exited again, revealing the large, sprawling city.

Sokka's eyes widened in shock, "Oh…"

The city of Ba Sing Se stretched almost as far as their eyes could see, and it was full of what looked like hundreds of roads and buildings. The three continued to stare at the sprawling city until the monorail entered the station and pulled to a stop.

Toph sighed as the group disembarked.

"Back in the city." She drawled sarcastically, "Great…"

"What's the problem?" Sokka asked in confusion and he gestured towards the sprawling city outside the monorail station, "It's amazing."

"It's just a bunch of walls and rules." Toph scoffed and she rolled her blind eyes as Momo perched on her shoulder, "You wait, you'll get sick of it in a couple of days."

In front of them, Aang stood staring out at the city. He glanced down at his palm where the bison-whistle was nestled in his palm. Closing his eyes, Aang brought the whistle to his lips and blew shortly.

"I'm comin' for ya, buddy." The young Airbender said determinedly as Katara approached him, putting her hand on his shoulder.

Aang glanced at her and his tone became more confident, "He's here. He and Xia, I can feel it."

Katara smiled at him encouragingly in reply. Behind the group the monorail departed and the teens turned, catching sight of a woman smiling widely at them from across the tracks, her long, dark hair billowing gently in the breeze the departing monorail created. Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Toph watched as the strange woman approached them, her smile seeming to be permanently stretched across her face.

"Hello, my name is Joo Dee!" The woman greeted them exuberantly without losing her smile, "I have been given the great honor of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. And you must Sokka, Katara, and Toph! Welcome to our wonderful city. Shall we get started?"

Toph felt her eyebrow twitch as the woman spoke, but she remained silent as she sensed Sokka taking a step forward.

"Yes." Sokka said quickly as he clutched his satchel protectively to him, "We have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to the Earth King, immediately."

"Great! Let's begin our tour. And then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it!" Joo Dee exclaimed, seemingly ignoring what Sokka had just said then she turned and began walking away.

"Ugh!" Sokka groaned in annoyance and he stomped after the strange, smiling woman, "Maybe you missed what I said. We need to talk to the king about the War, it's important."

"You're in Ba Sing Se now." The woman replied blankly with a smile, "Everyone is safe here."

The four teens stared at the woman in confused shock as she continued smiling at them.

* * *

"This is the Lower Ring." Joo Dee stated cheerfully as she gestured out the window of the ostrich-horse drawn carriage she and the four teens were riding in.

"What's that wall for?" Katara asked curiously as she looked at the wall then at Joo Dee.

"Oh, Ba Sing Se has many walls!" Joo Dee explained airily, "There are the ones outside protecting us, and the ones inside, that help maintain order."

Sokka, Katara, and Aang looked out the windows and stared at the raggedly dressed refugees the cart was driving past while Toph stared blankly in front of her.

"This is where our newest arrivals live," Joo Dee continued easily, "As well as our craftsman and artisans, people that work with their hands. It's so quaint and lively!"

The carriage past two shady looking men conversing in an alley, the light shining off a large sword one of the men was carrying. The men stopped talking and glared at the passing carriage.

"You do want to watch your step, though." Joo Dee remarked in a nervous tone, her smile only faltering slightly.

Katara looked nervously at the men as the carriage passed them completely then she looked off to the side suspiciously.

"Why do they have all these poor people blocked off in one part of the city?" The Waterbender asked suspiciously.

"This is why Xia and I never came here before." Aang stated in an upset and somewhat bored tone as he stared out the window on his side of the carriage, "We always heard it was so different from the way the monks taught us how to live."

* * *

Xiaodan skipped happily beside Zuko as they walked down the slightly busy street of the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se, ignoring his bad mood as she hummed lightly. Iroh suddenly appeared one his nephew's other side with a large vase filled with several orange flowers in his hand. Xiaodan gave the flowers a curious look, her orange-eyed gaze flickering to Iroh in silent question. Zuko glanced at the flower vase then at his uncle, giving both a cold, hard stare.

"I just want our place to look nice, in case someone brings home a lady friend!" Iroh said and he playfully nudged Zuko with his elbow then he gave Xiaodan a sly smile, "Or a gentleman friend!"

The white-haired girl giggled quietly and she ducked her head slightly, using her long hair to hide the blush beginning to stain her cheeks.

"Iroh!" She chided lightly with another giggle, holding her hand up to her mouth.

"This city is a prison." Zuko mumbled bleakly with a scowl, "I don't want to make a life here."

Xiaodan frowned slightly at him, her eyes slightly sad at his words.

"Life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not." Iroh replied in his calm, wise voice, "Now come on, I found us some new jobs, and we start this afternoon!"

The female Airbender laughed and she skipped happily alongside the two men as Iroh led her and Zuko down the street.

* * *

Jet stepped out of the alley he had been standing in, his dark brown eyes narrowing angrily on the trio's retreating backs.

"Look at them," He growled with a huff, "Firebenders living right under everyone's noses."

Longshot and Smellerbee stepped out of the alley and stood beside their friend, with skeptical looks on their faces.

"Jet, you saw a man with a hot cup of tea." Smellerbee said in slight exasperation, "It doesn't prove he's a Firebender. And what if he is, are we supposed to attack them? I thought we were starting over here, changing our ways."

"We are." Jet replied firmly, "When I get the evidence I need, I'll report them to the police and let them handle it. Okay?"

Smellerbee and Longshot exchanged looks behind Jet's back while he continued to glare in the direction the trio had gone in.

* * *

"This is the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se," Joo Dee stated brightly as the carriage trundled down a street with nicer houses than the previous ring, "Home to the financial district, shops, and restaurants, and the university."

Katara listened attentively while Sokka and Aang stared boredly out their windows with Toph staring blankly in front of her, not really listening to what the strange woman was saying.

"Yeah, we met a professor from the Ba Sing Se University." Sokka commented offhandedly then his tone steadily became more impatient as he continued, "He took us to an ancient underground library where we discovered information about the war that is absolutely crucial for the Earth King to hear!"

Joo Dee merely smiled and spoke excitedly, "Isn't history fascinating? Look, here's one of the oldest towns in the middle ring, Town Hall!"

The carriage stopped and the smiling woman exited. Sokka glared at her retreating back in annoyance.

"Is that woman deaf?" He demanded with a huff, "She only seems to hear every other word I say!"

"It's called 'being handled.' Get used to it." Toph stated drily as she crossed her arms and she lowered her head slightly.

Sokka groaned quietly while Aang and Katara gave him sympathetic looks.

* * *

Jet leaned casually against the wall of a shop in the Lower Ring with his piece of wheat hanging from his mouth. He watched a few people walking along the street then he nonchalantly peered through one of the open windows he was leaning again, his dark eyes narrowing in on the two men and the white-haired girl he'd been following.

* * *

"Well, you certainly look like official tea servers." Pao, the owner of the small tea shop that Iroh had gotten the three of them jobs at said as he looked at the trio in their aprons, "How do you feel?"

Xiaodan put a hand over her mouth to hide her smile as she watched Iroh struggle to tie his apron out of the corner of her eye.

"Ridiculous." Zuko growled lowly in annoyance and Xiaodan nudged him gently with her elbow.

"Be nice." The white-haired girl whispered then she smiled at Pao sweetly, "Fine, thank you."

"Uh," Iroh grunted as he continued struggling with the string, "Does this possibly come in a larger size?"

"I have extra string in the back." Pao replied lightly, "Have some tea while you wait!"

He poured some tea into three cups and he handed them to Xiaodan, Iroh, and Zuko then he headed towards the back of the shop. Zuko stared at the teacup in his hand in annoyance while Iroh and Xiaodan took a small sip of their own tea. Xiaodan made a disgusted face and put the cup on the counter, covered her mouth as she coughed.

"Blech!" Iroh muttered in repulsion and he looked down at the teacup with disgusted face, "This tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice!"

Zuko gave his uncle a flat look, "Uncle that's what _all _tea is."

Xiaodan gaped at him in shock, unbelieving that he had just said that in front of his uncle.

"How could a member of my own family say something so horrible?!" Iroh demanded angrily as he gave his nephew a stern look, "We'll have to make some changes are here, Xia."

"I agree." Xiaodan said with a sniff and she handed Iroh the teapot, ignoring the way Zuko rolled his eyes at her and his uncle.

The old man took the teapot from her and ambled over towards the window at the front of the shop to dump the tea out before the Pao returned.

* * *

Jet sucked in a quiet gasp and he moved away from the window quickly just as the old man dumped the tea out the window. The dark-haired teen narrowed his eyes and slowly stalked around the corner of the shop, disappearing into the alley as his thoughts raced with how to get proof that those men were Firebenders.

"Maybe the girl knows something?" Jet muttered to himself thoughtful then his eyes narrowed further, "Or maybe she doesn't and they're keeping her hostage. I have to find a way to talk to her."

* * *

"The Upper Ring is home to our most important citizens." Joo Dee remarked as the carriage rolled through the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se, "Your house is not too far from here!"

Katara furrowed her brows slightly when the carriage passed by another wall with a tall gate and behind it Katara could see the roof of an enormous building.

"What's inside that wall?" The dark-haired Waterbender asked curiously and she stared at the men wearing dark robes and wide-brimmed hats standing outside the gateway.

"And who're the mean looking guys in robes?" Sokka added with a frown as he watched the men's eyes follow the carriage with cold eyes.

"Inside is the Royal Palace." Joo Dee explained breezily, "Those men are agents of the Dai Li, the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se. They are guardians of all our traditions!"

Aang stared at her with annoyed and bored expression as he demanded, "Can we see the king now?"

"Oh, no," Joo Dee replied hurriedly, still smiling widely, "One doesn't just pop in on the Earth King!"

Aang sighed and hung his head slowly. The carriage pulled to a stop in front of a small house and the young Airbender caught sight of Momo landing on the roof of the small house.

"Here we are!" Joo Dee exclaimed happily, "Your new home!"

She stepped out of the carriage gracefully, the four teens following her a moment later. She stood at the bottom of the stairs while Sokka, Aang, Katara, and Toph walked up them and stood near the top. A messenger suddenly ran up to Joo Dee and bowed, holding a scroll up to her. The strange woman took the scroll and unrolled, reading it quickly.

"More good news!" The woman exclaimed as she rolled the scroll up again and looked at the group of teens, "Your request for an audience with the Earth King is being processed, and should be put through in about a month. Much more quickly than usual!"

Sokka, Katara, and Aang stared at her in shock and disbelief while Toph's expression morphed into distaste.

"A month?" Sokka asked in disbelief.

Joo Dee smiled widely at them, "Six to eight weeks, actually."

She walked up the stairs and past the stunned teens, heading into the house. The group exchanged looks then they followed after the strange woman. Katara and Toph sat down on the small cushioned seats near a low table while Sokka stood to their left and Aang a few feet away to their right.

"Isn't it nice?" Joo Dee asked as she stood in front of the two girls, "I think you'll really enjoy it here."

"I think we would enjoy it more if we weren't staying for so long." Sokka snarked in frustration as he stared through narrowed eyes at the smiling woman, "Can't we see the Earth King _any_ sooner?"

"The Earth King is very busy running the finest city in the world." Joo Dee stated brightly and Sokka gave her an annoyed look, "But he will see you as soon as time permits."

Aang turned to look out the window with a determined expression, "If we're going to be here for a month, we should spend our time looking for Appa, and Xia too."

Momo perked up at the two familiar names and he chittered excitedly from his spot on the table near Aang.

"I'll be happy to escort you anywhere you'd like to go." Joo Dee stated as she bowed to Aang.

"We don't _need_ a babysitter." Toph snapped in aggravation from beside Katara then she stood and walked towards the door.

"Oh, I won't get in the way." Joo Dee said quickly and she stepped forward, blocking the bling girl's path, "And to leave you alone would make me a bad host!"

Joo Dee smiled again and she peered at the other three teens around Toph, "Where shall we start?"

Toph scowled and turned around in annoyance, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

* * *

"I'm sorry," The owner of the pet store Aang and his friends had entered said with a frown, "But I haven't heard anything about a flying bison. I didn't even know there _were_ any."

Aang leaned forward slightly, "If someone wanted to sell a stole animal without anyone knowing, where would they go?"

"Where's the black market? Who runs it?" Sokka demanded in frustration as he came to stand beside Aang and he pointed accusingly at the store owner, "Come on, you know!"

"Uh…" The pet store owner stuttered nervously and he glanced behind the two teens and stared at Joo Dee, who smiled widely as she slowly shook her head.

The owner cleared his throat and said carefully, "That would be illegal. You'll have to leave now, your lemur is harassing my sparrowkeets."

The teens glanced over to where Momo was eating the bird's food while screeching and defending himself from the squawking sparrowkeets that were flapping around him. Aang sighed quietly and walked out of the store with his friends after he grabbed Momo.

* * *

"Hmm…" The university student mused thoughtfully as he looked up at Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph, "I've never seen any Sandbenders or nomads around here. You should ask Professor Zei, he teaches the class on desert cultures."

"_Right_." Sokka replied sarcastically in an annoyed turn, "And which of your professors could we ask about the war with the Fire Nation?"

"Uh…" the student stuttered nervously and he pushed his glasses up his nose, glancing at Joo Dee standing behind the four teens, shaking her head slowly.

Sokka's eyes narrowed when he got the woman's movements and he turned around to stare at her but she stopped before he could get a good look.

"I don't know." The university student said quickly as he began gathering up his scrolls, "I'm not a political science student…I've got to get to class."

Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Toph watched as the student hurried away from them, tripping and dropping his scrolls after only taking a few steps. He quickly picked them up and rushed way with his shoulders hunched slightly. Joo Dee smiled widely and waved to his retreating back.

* * *

Aang hung his head as he and his friends stood on the steps that led to their temporary home in Ba Sing Se while Joo Dee remained in the carriage.

"Well, I'm sorry no one has seen your bison." The smiling woman apologized falsely from the window, "Why don't you get some rest? Someone will be over with dinner, later."

The carriage drove off and the group turned to head into the house when Sokka noticed a man in the house across the street, peeking at them through a window. When the man noticed Sokka looking at him, he quickly receded back into the house and closed the window.

"Hey," Sokka called out softly to his sister and friends and he gestured towards the house, "Follow me."

Katara, Aang, and Toph exchanged glances then they followed Sokka across the street towards the house. Sokka knocked lightly on the front door and stepped back. A moment later the man from before opened the door, smiling falsely at them as he looked around nervously.

"You're the Avatar!" The man exclaimed lightly, "I heard you were in town. I'm Pong."

Aang smiled cordially at the man, "Nice to meet you, Pong."

"So, Pong, what's goin' on with this city?" Sokka asked casually, "Why is everyone here so scared here to talk about the war?"

Pong's eyes started shifting from side-to-side nervously, "War? Scared? What do you mean?"

"I can feel you shaking." Toph commented in a flat, annoyed tone.

"Look, I'm just a minor government official." Pong said hurriedly as he looked around to make sure no one was around, "I've waited three years to get this house. I don't want to get into trouble."

"Get in trouble with who?!" Katara asked in trepidation.

"Shh!" Pong whispered as he put his finger against his mouth, "Listen, you can't mention the War here. And whatever you do, stay away from the Dai Li."

He closed the door quickly after he finished speaking and the four teens exchanged confused looks then they went back to their own house.

* * *

Jet perched on a shadow balcony and spied on the old man and two teenagers in the small apartment across the street, a clothesline keeping him hiding from view.

"Would either of you like a pot of tea?" The old man asked kindly.

Jet heard the white-haired girl's laughter and she suddenly appeared beside the old man, pressing a sweet kiss to his cheek.

"I'd take some tea, please." She said and the old man nodded at her with a smile then she disappeared from Jet's line of sight.

"We've been working in a tea shop all day!" the teen Jet knew as Lee snapped in annoyance as he laid on the futon in the living room, "I'm sick of tea!"

"Sick of tea? That's like being sick of breathing!" The old man squawked indignantly at the young man as he rummaged through the cupboard beneath the counter he was standing in front of, "Have you seen the spark rocks to heat up the water?"

Jet smirked and watched the man straighten up, a confused look on his lined face.

"They're not there." Jet whispered smugly to himself and he glanced down at the emerald-colored spark rocks in his hands, "You'll have to Firebend, old man."

He watched as Iroh disappeared from his line of sight and his eyes narrowed.

"Where're you going?" He muttered to himself and his eyes narrowed further when the old man reappeared.

"I borrowed our neighbors'." He heard the old man say pleasantly, "Such kind people."

Jet sucked in an irate breath as the old man struck the rocks together near the pile of twigs below the teapot, creating a flame. The young man scowled as he ducked behind the clothesline and left the balcony.

* * *

Xiaodan pushed Zuko's feet off the futon in the small living room of the apartment she shared with the grouchy prince and his uncle. He scowled at her and the white-haired girl smiled cheekily as she sat down in the space his feet had been occupying. Iroh hummed quietly as he walked over and handed the female Airbender a cup of tea then he sat down headed into the small bedroom he shared with his nephew with his own cup.

It had been decided that Zuko and Iroh would share the single bedroom in the apartment and Xiaodan would take the surprisingly comfortable futon that was in the living room. Xiaodan sighed contentedly as she leaned took a sip of the tea while she leaned back against the wall the futon was pressed up against.

She and Zuko sat in companionable silence, neither one feeling the need to speak as Xiaodan quietly sipped her tea while Zuko stared up at the ceiling. He would never admit it to her, but as he sat there, his thoughts strayed towards the white-haired girl sitting near his feet. And unbeknownst to him Xiaodan's thoughts were on him as well, though it didn't show on her face as she drank her tea.

* * *

Katara stepped out of the house the next morning, yawning and stretching as she listened to the birds singing in the trees. Sighing happily, the dark-haired girl grabbed the roll of papers from the mail holder attached to one of the pillars that held up the arches in front of the porch. She unrolled the paper and read quietly, gasping in excitement a moment later then she ran back inside the house where the others were lounging around the upper part of the living room.

"I got it!" Katara exclaimed as she hopped onto the raised part of the living room, "I know how we're going to see the Earth King!"

"How are we supposed to do that?" Toph asked flatly then she changed her voice to mimic Joo Dee, "'One doesn't just _pop_ in on the Earth King!'"

Katara smiled as she read from the paper, "The king is having a party tonight for his pet bear."

"You mean, platypus-bear?" Aang asked curiously as he turned his head to look at her from his lounging position on the railing on the raised section of the living room.

"No, it just says 'bear.'"

Sokka tilted his head back and looked at his sister up-side down, "Certainly you mean his pet skunk-bear."

"Or his armadillo-bear." Toph added idly.

"Gopher-bear?" Aang asked.

"Just…bear." Katara replied with a shrug.

"This place…" Toph began flatly, "Is weird."

Katara shook her head and her excitement returned, "The palace will be packed. We can sneak in with the crowd."

Toph lied down and tucked her hands behind her head, "Won't work."

"Why not?" Katara asked in confusion and her brow furrowed.

"Well, no offense to you simply country folk, but a real society crowd will spot you a mile away." Toph replied idly without lifting her head, "You've got no manners!"

The blind girl grabbed a pastry from a nearby bowl and she took a large bite out of it. Katara gave her an affronted look.

"Excuse me?" Katara demanded in an insulted tone, "_I've_ got now manners? You're not exactly 'lady fancy fingers!'"

Toph burped loudly, "I learned proper society behavior and _chose_ to leave it."

She tossed her half-eaten pastry to the side and wiped her hand on the front of her shirt, "You never learned anything. And frankly, it's a little too late."

Katara made a disgusted face as Toph picked her nose then flicked the snot off her finger.

"Aha, but you learned it!" Sokka exclaimed excitedly from the other side of the room, "You could teach us."

"Yeah, I'm mastering the elements." Aang piped in with a grin, "How hard could manners be?"

The young Airbender jumped off the railing and he grabbed a nearby curtain, putting it around himself like a noble's robe.

"Good evening, Mr. Sokka Water Tribe, Ms. Katara Water Tribe, Lord Momo of the Momo Dynasty, Your Momoness." Aang said in a very sophisticated manner and he tried not to grin when Momo peeked out at him from under the carpet and bowed slightly.

Sokka smirked and stood up, another curtain wrapped around him like a robe and he began mimicking a typical high-class person.

"Avatar Aang, how do you do? Go on." He drawled as he stuck his nose in the air snootily.

Aang bowed to him and Sokka, in an attempt to outdo him, bowed back. Aang attempted to further outdo the older teen by bowing even deeper and Sokka returned his bow with an even deeper one of his own. Suddenly they both bowed at the same time and their foreheads knocked together, causing them to fall down.

Toph snorted and got to her feet then she walked over to stand in front of Katara, while Sokka's and Aang's legs stuck up in the air comically.

"Katara might be able to pull it off," She commented idly, "But you two would be lucky to pass as busboys!"

"But I feel so fancy!" Sokka protested slightly from where he and Aang were still on the ground with the curtains on top of them.

A frown appeared on his face when Toph's snot fell on his forehead.

* * *

Later than night, Sokka and Aang sat in the middle of the living room facing each other with their hands held out in front of them.

"Earth!" Aang said as he held his hand out in a fist.

"Fire!" Sokka said at the same time as he wiggled his fingers.

The Water Tribe boy grumbled in annoyance when he lost the game and Aang raised his hands in the air triumphantly then he flicked Sokka's forehead with smug grin on his face. Suddenly Katara and Toph appeared in the doorway that led to the bedrooms. Both of them were wearing makeup and exquisite Earth Kingdom dresses as they held fans up to hide their faces. The two girls stared at the two surprised boys calmly then they fell into a fit of giggles and they leaned against each other slightly.

Aang blushed brightly and he smiled dreamily at Katara, "Wow, you look beautiful."

Sokka made a face and flicked the younger boy's forehead. Katara opened her mouth to reply to Aang's compliment, but Toph abruptly placed her fan in front of the slightly older girl's mouth.

"Don't talk to the commoners, Katara." The blind girl chided firmly, "First rule of society."

Aang and Sokka watched in silence as the two girls glided past them and towards the door.

"We'll get in the party, and then find a way to let you in through the side gate." Katara said to the two boys as she paused at the open door then she and Toph left.

A gong suddenly sounded and Momo walked past Sokka and Aang, holding one of the curtains around his neck like a cape. Aang looked at Sokka with a quirked eyebrow, but the older boy just shrugged.

* * *

Jet watched suspiciously as a man walked through the door of the teashop the old man, 'Lee' and 'Xin' worked at.

"Jet, we need to talk."

"What?" Jet questioned in surprise and he turned around to look at Smellerbee and Longshot, "Oh great, it's you guys. Where have you been? I could use some help with surveillance here!"

"We've been talking," Smellerbee said carefully as she shifted slightly, "And we think you're becoming obsessed with this. It's not healthy."

"Oh really?" Jet asked his tone becoming cold as he regarded his two friends, "You both think this?"

Longshot placed his arm around Smellerbee's shoulder in a show of agreement to her statement.

"We came here to make a fresh start." The girl said, almost desperately, "But you won't let this go. Even though there is no real proof!"

"Well, maybe if you'd help me…"

"Jet," Smellerbee said quietly, "You gotta stop this."

"Maybe you've forgotten why we need to start over." The dark-eyed boy snapped angrily and the two looked down with guilty expressions as he continued, "Maybe you've forgotten about how the Fire Nation left us all homeless. How they wiped out all the people we loved. If you don't want to help me, I'll get the evidence on my own."

Longshot and Smellerbee watched in despair as their friend stalked towards the teashop.

* * *

Xiaodan skipped gracefully through the teashop, handing out cups of fresh tea or refilling customer's cups with more of Iroh's delicious tea. Iroh smiled at the white-haired girl happily as he walked over to another customer and poured him a fresh cup of tea.

"This is the best tea in the city!" The man praised Iroh happily as he took a sip of his tea.

"The secret ingredient is love." Iroh replied and he gently waved a hand through the steam coming from the teapot then he walked towards the back of the shop where the owner was, ignoring the disgusted look his young, scarred face.

Xiaodan skipped forward and deposited an empty teapot on the counter, a content smile on her tanned and tattooed face.

"I need another pot of jasmine, I-Mushi." The white-girl quickly caught herself, sending a sheepish smile at Zuko when he glared at her slightly.

Pao smiled as he turned to look at Iroh, "I think you're due for a raise."

Iroh opened his mouth to answer when the front door was suddenly slammed open, everyone turning and staring in surprise. Xiaodan's brows rose when she saw Jet standing in the doorway with an angry look on his face as he glared at Zuko and Iroh.

"I'm tired of waiting." Jet growled furiously as he stalked further into the shop and he pointed an accusing finger at Iroh and Zuko, "These two men are Firebenders and they've taken that girl hostage!"

He unsheathed his hook swords and shifted into a fighting stance. Iroh, Zuko, and Xiaodan exchanged surprised and uncertain looks, each of them unsure on what to do.

"I know they're Firebenders." Jet continued furiously, "I saw the old man heating his tea!"

"He works in a tea shop." One of the customers commented bleakly and his brows rose.

"He's Firebender!" Jet roared, "I'm _telling_ you!"

"Drop your swords, boy." One of the customers ordered firmly as he and another man stood slowly, "Nice and easy."

Jet ignored him and he stared almost manically at Zuko.

"You'll have to defend yourself." The brown-haired teen taunted, "Then everyone will know. Go ahead, how them what you can do."

Xiaodan pursed her lips and shuffled slightly closer to Zuko as Jet slowly stalked towards the trio with his swords drawn. The customer that had ordered Jet to lower his weapons moved to draw his swords, but Zuko walked forward and grabbed them instead.

"Zuko!" The white-haired Airbender hissed worriedly as she watched the scarred prince pull the dao swords apart.

Zuko ignored her as he faced Jet, "You want a show? I'll give you a show!"

He slipped into a fighting stance, the dao swords held expertly in his hands. Xiaodan gasped quietly and covered her mouth with her hands when Zuko pulled one of the tables in front of him with his foot, then he kicked it at Jet. The other sword-wielder sliced the table in half and he jumped over the two halves. As he landed, he swung his hooked-blades at Zuko, who deflected the attack with his own blades. Zuko jumped back and onto another table, which Jet promptly sliced through the middle of it with one blade.

Zuko stepped onto one half of the table and balanced easily on one foot while Jet continued his attack by cutting the legs off that half of the table. The scarred prince quickly jumped and he swung the dao swords at Jet's feet as he landed, but the other boy somersaulted away. Jet landed in a crouch then he charged forward at Zuko again. Zuko swung both his swords at the other boy and the weapons clashed furiously.

Xiaodan and Iroh watched the two boys fight from beside the counter that divided the front of the teashop from the back. Both of them wanted to do something, but neither was sure what to do, so they stayed back and stayed near each other.

* * *

Toph and Katara stood in the long line of high-class citizens that were waiting to be admitted into the party by the guard at the door. When it was there turn, the two girls approached him gracefully.

"Invitation please." The guard requested impassively.

"I think this will do." Toph said formally as she held out the official seal of the Beifong family to the guard.

The guard barely even glanced at the seal, "No entry without an invitation. Step out of line, please."

"Look, the Pans and the Yum Soon Hans are waiting in there for us!" Toph snapped in irritation, "I'm going to have tell them _who_ didn't let me in."

"Step out of line please." The guard repeated unyieldingly and he pointed to the side.

Katara gently took Toph's arm and the two girls move out of the way disappointedly. Katara lifted her head and noticed a man exiting a carriage. She watched as two Dai Li agents bowed to him and she smiled slightly as an idea came to her. Quietly, Katara tugged Toph towards the man.

"Sir, I'm sorry to bother you, but my cousin lost our invitations." Katara said innocently as she stopped in front of the man then eh dropped her voice to a whisper, "She's blind."

She raised her voice back to normal, ignoring the irritated look Toph sent her.

"Do you think you could help us? Our family's inside and I'm sure they're _very_ worried."

The man smiled and inclined his head, "I am honored, please come with me."

He walked towards the guard at the entrance with Toph and Katara trailing after him. The guard bowed to the man as he passed him then he led the two girls into the

* * *

Inside the party at the one end of the table the king's bear, Bosco, was tearing viciously into a steak, his drool dripping off his chin.

"He's taking all the good stuff!" The older guest sitting on one side of the bear hissed at his younger companion.

"Quiet!" The young man hissed right back, "You don't know what I had to do to get seats _this_ close to the bear!"

Bosco hit the younger guest slightly then he pounced onto the table and began tearing into a large plate of meat in front of him.

As the bear was enjoying himself, the man led Toph and Katara into the hall where the party was taking place.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" The man asked then he turned and bowed slightly to the girls, "By the way, I'm Long Feng. I'm a cultural minister to the king."

"I'm Kwa Mai and this is…Dum." Katara lied easily and Toph frowned then she yanked a string hanging from the older girl's headdress, "Ow!"

"Now where is your family?" Long Feng asked curiously, "I'd _love _to meet them."

"Uh…" Katara feigned looked around as she thought of a plausible lie, "I don't see them right now, but I'm sure we'll find them soon."

She smiled at him, "Thanks for all your help."

Katara and Toph turned and walked way, jumping slightly when Long Feng appeared in front of them.

"Don't worry, as your escort it would be dishonorable to abandon you ladies without finding your families first." Long Feng said calmly, "We'll keep looking."

He turned around and began leading the two girls through the party. Katara glanced at Toph nervously as they followed him.

* * *

Outside the palace, Aang and Sokka peeked around either side the pedestal of a statue of a lion.

"Where are they?" Aang questioned nervously as they looked for Katara and Toph then they ducked back behind the pedestal.

"Look, I came up with a back-up plan." Sokka said and he picked up Momo, "We dress Momo like a ghost, okay? He flies by the guards, creating a distraction. Then, we blast a hole in the wall-"

Aang stood up, cutting Sokka off, and he looked over the pedestal again, pointing at some busboys. Sokka frowned and stood up as well, peering in the direction the other boy was gesturing, his blue eyes finding the busboys that were currently unloading supplied form a carriage and taking them inside the palace.

"Or we could go in as these guys." Aang suggested lightly, "Toph said we might pass as busboys!"

"Okay." Sokka agreed with a small huff and he rolled his eyes slightly, "But remember that Momo ghost plan. I think it's a winner."

He grinned and they sunk back behind the pedestal to keep planning.

* * *

Zuko burst out through the door of the teashop and he tumbled onto the street, somersaulting back on his feet. Jet ran after him a moment later and he struck at Zuko with his hook swords. Zuko quickly deflected the strike and the two locked swords.

"You must be getting tired of using those swords." Jet taunted with a sinister grin and Zuko gave him an annoyed look, "Why don't you go ahead and Firebend at me?"

The two moved off the side and Xiaodan and Iroh stood in the door way of the teashop, watching the two with worried expressions.

"Please, son, you're confused!" Iroh called out desperately, "You don't know what you're doing!"

"This is ridiculous!" Xiaodan shouted, sounding just as desperate as Iroh as she watched Zuko and Jet fight.

The two young men ignored them. Zuko swung his blades at Jet, but he stopped the scarred teen's dao swords with the end of his hook-swords, spinning around and deflecting the blow. Zuko spun with his swords and he tried to counterattack, but Jet hooked the ends of his swords together and began to swing them at the other teen in large, circular motions. Zuko quickly retreated back several steps and held his swords up defensively.

"Bet you wish he'd help you out with a little fire blast right now." Jet said mockingly and he swung his swords at Zuko's feet but the banished prince stabbed one of his dao blade through the hilt of Jet's hooked-sword, pinning it to the ground.

Jet growled slightly and glared at the sword in annoyance then he focused back on Zuko, his dark eyes narrowed dangerously.

"_You're _the one who needs help." Zuko snapped angrily and the two continued fighting with their remaining swords.

Jet spun in a circle and tried to swipe at Zuko with his remained sword, but the scarred teen quickly lunched forward and swung his own sword at Jet. The shaggy haired brunette pulled his attack back just in time to bend backwards and avoid Zuko's blade, which passed over his face and sliced the straw of wheat sticking out of his mouth in half. Jet quickly regained his balance and he jumped back onto the edge of a well.

"You see that! The Fire Nation is trying to silence me!" He shouted at the gathered crowd and Zuko stared at him through narrowed gold eyes, "It'll _never_ happen."

Jet attacked again, hooking his sword to the top of the well and sending a flying kick towards Zuko. Xiaodan and Iroh stood side-by-side, their worried gazes never leaving the two combating boys. The white-haired girl sucked in a breath and spun around, rushing back into the teashop. She ignored Iroh's shout for her as she leapt over the counter nimbly then she reached under it and grabbed her staff, which she had hidden there when she came to work, unable to leave it back at the apartment. Xiaodan quickly ran back towards the sound of Zuko's and Jet's battle.

* * *

Aang and Sokka stood back-to-back, fully dressed as busboys as they served refreshments to the guests of the party. Aang began pouring a drink while Sokka served food to the people who passed by.

"Where are Toph and Katara?" Aang asked worriedly from the corner of his mouth.

"Forget them! Just keep an eye out for the king." Sokka whispered back and his eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance as Momo's tail, which was sticking out of Aang's hat, began wagging in his face.

"I don't know what he looks like." Aang mumbled nervously as he looked around.

"You know, _royal_, flowing robe, fancy jewelry." Sokka muttered in reply and he grabbed Momo's tail, still wagging in his face, and he stuffed it back into Aang's hat.

Aang looked around at all of the party guests and his brows furrowed as he took in all the guests that were adorned in fancy, flowing robes and headpieces.

"That could be _anyone_!"

Unbeknownst to the two boys, Toph was subtly making her way over to them. She flicked her fan open and covered her face as she came up beside Aang.

"Another crab puff, please." The blind girl drawled in an overly sophisticated voice.

Sokka leaned in with his eyes closed as he held his tray out to her to hand her a crab puff, unaware it's her.

"You found us!" Aang gasped when he realized it was Toph beside him.

"I'd know your little steps anywhere, Twinkle Toes." Toph quipped in amusement.

Katara suddenly appeared beside Toph and Aang blushed when he looked at. Sokka opened his eyes and blinked when he realized who the two girls were.

"Thanks for letting us in!" He said sarcastically with an eye roll.

"Sorry," Katara apologized sheepishly, "But the guy who escorted us in _won't _let us out of his sight!"

"What guy?" Sokka asked in confusion, his brow quirked.

Aang, Sokka, and Katara looked around while Toph used her feet to 'see', but it didn't look as if anyone had followed the two girls. As they peered around for Long Feng, Joo Dee suddenly approached them with a worried expression on usually smiling face.

"What are you doing here?" The strange woman asked with a forced smile, "You have to leave immediately, or we'll be in terrible trouble!"

Joo Dee tried to push Sokka but he blocked her with his tray.

"Not until we see the king." He retorted stubbornly.

"You don't understand." Joo Dee said apprehensively, "You must go!"

The woman shoved Sokka into Aang, which caused him to spill the water inside the pitcher he was holding onto a female guest.

"Aaah! Oh!" The woman gasped in surprise and anguish as she looked down at her soaked dress.

"Sorry." Aang apologized quickly, "No, don't shout."

He quickly used his hands and foot to Airbend a gust of wind at the female guest, blowing his hat, along with Momo off his head. The gust of air dried the water on her, but at the same time it turned her hair, clothes, and makeup into a mess. Aang smiled sheepishly at her as he lowered his hand and foot. The woman stared at him in shock for a moment then she smiled slowly in amazement.

"The Avatar!" She gasped in awe, "I didn't know the Avatar would be here!"

All the guests turned their attention towards Aang. Joo Dee's large, happy smile slowly fell into a sour frown and a look of dread as she stared at the young Avatar. Aang looked around at the guests as Momo hid back under the hat on the floor and sank away. The young Airbender blushed and waved at the crowd, laughing nervously. Sokka quickly leaned towards the younger boy when he got an idea.

"You keep their attention while I look for the king." He whispered quickly then he slipped into the crowd.

Aang nodded and turned back to the crowd, "Watch this, everybody!"

The young Avatar jumped into the air and out of his busboy clothes, leaving him in his Air Nomad garb. He landed lightly on the long dining table and he began swinging his arms around, Waterbending the guests' drinks right out of the cups. Quickly, he jumped onto a pitcher and balanced on it easily as he continued to Waterbend the liquid above his head, where he created a swirling, multicolored ball. The crowd of high-society people cheered and clapped excitedly as he spun around while Bosco the bear gave a delighted growl from the other end of the table.

* * *

Xiaodan raced out of the teashop with her staff gripped tightly in her hand, arriving outside just as Zuko swung his remained dao blade at Jet with a fierce growl. Jet dodged the attack and moved to Zuko's side lithely. The two ended up back-to-back and they attempt to strike each other from behind, but neither is able to get past the other's defense. Xiaodan spotted two Dai Li agents pushing through the crowd and she rushed towards the two fighting young men.

"Xiaodan, don't!" Iroh gasped and he reached out to grab the white-haired girl, but she was too fast and she easily dodged his outstretched hand.

"Enough!" Xiaodan barked as she slipped her staff between the two boys and with a small amount of Airbending, she pushed them apart in two different directions.

She stood between Zuko and Jet as they faced each other, both breathing hard as they glared darkly at the other. Xiaodan stood with her staff raised threateningly at both of them, her orange eyes flashing from Zuko to Jet then back again.

"Drop your weapons." One of the Dai Li agents ordered as they reached the trio of teens.

Zuko's eyes narrowed and he lowered his sword to his side. Xiaodan eyed him for a moment then she shifted so she was standing beside him and she pressed the end of her staff into the ground, leaning on it slightly. Jet scowled and pointed towards Iroh, Xiaodan, Zuko with his remaining hook sword.

"Arrest them," Jet demanded, "They're Firebenders!"

"This poor boy is confused," Iroh said peacefully as he walked over to stand beside Zuko and Xiaodan, "We're just simple refugees."

Pao stepped forward and pointed an accusing finger at Jet, "This young man wrecked my tea shop, and assaulted my employees!"

"It's true sir, we saw the whole thing." One of the customers said as he stepped forward, "This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city."

"Oh, ho, ho." Iroh chuckled modestly as he blushed faintly, "That's very sweet."

Zuko rolled his eyes in aggravation at his uncle, but Xiaodan couldn't help but giggle quietly behind her hand.

The two Dai Li agents walked up to Jet, who was glaring at them angrily.

"Come with us, son." One of the agents instructed firmly once he and his comrade had reached the young man.

Jet scowled and swung his hook-sword at the agent, who merely caught the weapon with his rock-encased hands. The agent quickly disarmed Jet and both Dai Li agents pulled his arms behind his back, binding his wrists together using their stones from their rock gloves.

"You don't understand!" Jet shouted as the guards dragged him toward a wagon designed for holding captured criminals, "They're Fire Nation! You have to believe me!"

The crowd slowly began to disperse as the young man was thrown into the wagon on his knees. Jet looked up as the doors began to close, catching sight of the white-haired girl staring at him with small amount of sympathy then the doors blocked his sight.

The people left in the street watched quietly as the wagon began moving down the street. In the remaining crowd, Longshot and Smellerbee watched the entire scene unfold, hidden from view then they turned and slowly walked away.

Iroh pursed his lips slightly and shook his head with small, sad sigh then he went back into the teashop. Xiaodan glanced up at Zuko and saw him glaring at the retreating wagon. Without really thinking, she grabbed his hand with her free and she began to lead him back to the shop. She let go of his hand briefly to grab the other dao sword as they passed it and she handed it to him then she took his hand in her again and continued walking. Zuko didn't pull his hand away from hers as he let her lead him back to the shop in silence.

* * *

Two lines of guards walk into the hall with eight of them carrying a curtained palanquin, the outline of the Earth King sitting on the platform just barely visible through the sheer curtain. The crowd stopped to marvel at the king's presence and Sokka quickly snuck through the crowd while they were distracted as he attempted to get a better view of the king. The line of guards placed the palanquin down and they turned to face the guests with stoic expressions.

"Aang!" Sokka called out as he looked at the boy then he pointed towards the king, "The Earth King!"

Aang noticed Sokka's gesture from where he was entertaining the bear by Waterbending bubbles. Quickly, Aang bends an air-scooter and he zoomed down the length of the table, the guests quickly pulling their food and drinks out of the way.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Aang exclaimed excitedly as he zoomed down the table.

The procession of guards suddenly picked up the palanquin and walked off with it while another line of guards walked up to the long dining table. Sokka swiftly exited the crowd and attempted to follow the king, but two Dai Li agents grabbed him abruptly and lead him away, pulling his arms behind his back.

"Hey, let me go!" Sokka shouted as he tried to struggle against the two agents' grip on his arms, but to no avail.

In a different part of the hall, a Dai Li agent stepped out from behind a pillar and he threw his hands out, sending his stone gloves flying forward. The gloves grabbed Toph and pulled her backwards abruptly with one glove on her mouth to keep her quiet while Katara was looking the other way. A second later, another pair of gloves grabbed the Waterbender and pulled her back the same way they had Toph. Another Dai Li agent stood watch near the wall and he looked down when something on the ground caught his attention. His eyes narrowed when he saw the busboy hat scurrying past him, a pair of large ears and a striped tail sticking out of it. The agent reached down and pulled the hat off, revealing Momo underneath and the lemur looked up in surprise. The Dai Li guard grabbed the lemur in one hand and used the other to encase him in the rocks from his stone glove.

Aang zoomed down the rest of the length of the table, unaware that his friends had been captured and he quickly jumped off his air scooter when he reached the end of the table. The young Airbender held his arms up triumphantly then his brows furrowed slightly when he saw the line of guards. Long Feng suddenly walked up to Aang from behind the line of guards and he clasped his hands behind his back.

"Avatar, it is a great honor to meet you." Long Feng said respectfully and he bowed briefly to Aang, "I am Long Feng, Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se and head of the Dai Li. I'd like to talk to you. Your friends will be waiting for us in the library."

The man gestured for Aang to follow him as he exited the hall and headed in the direction of the library. Aang hesitated a moment then he hopped off the table and followed Long Feng quietly.

* * *

The double doors of the library shut behind the four teens after they and Long Feng had entered the library. Long Feng moved towards a small stool that was positioned in front of the large hearth that illuminated the area with green flames. The four teens stood tensely a few feet in front of him, all of them watching him warily.

"Why won't you let us talk to the king?" Sokka demanded as he took a step forward, "We have information that could defeat the Fire Nation!"

"The Earth King has no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day to day minutia of military activities." Long Feng replied mildly.

"This could be the most important thing he's ever heard." Aang protested with a small frown.

"What's most important to his royal majesty is maintaining the _cultural_ heritage of Ba Sing Se. All his duties relate to issuing decrees on such matters." The man explained artfully as he crossed his legs, "It's _my_ job to oversee the rest of the city's resources, including the military."

"So the king is just a figurehead." Katara stated with surprise.

"He's your puppet!" Toph accused angrily and and Long Feng gave her a surprised look.

"Oh, no, no." He denied lightly as he waved his hands in front of him slightly, "His Majesty is an icon, a god to his people. He can't sully his hands with the hourly changes of an endless war."

"But we found out about a solar eclipse that will leave the Fire Nation defenseless." Sokka said in frustration, "You could lead an invasion-"

Long Feng stood up abruptly with an annoyed expression and Sokka stopped talking to give the man a confused look.

"Enough, I don't want to hear your ridiculous plan." Long Feng snapped firmly, "It is the strict policy of Ba Sing Se that the War not be mentioned with the Walls. Constant news of an escalating war will throw the citizens of Ba Sing Se into a state of panic."

* * *

Unbeknownst to the friends that as Long Feng spoke, two Dai Li agents dragged Jet into a dark room and forced him to sit on a stone chair.

"You have to believe me, they're Firebenders!" Jet pleaded as he tried to get up only to be forced back down again by two stone bands holding his wrists to the arm of the chair, "They won't stop until they win the War."

Several square stones from one of the agent's rock glove circled around Jet's head and clamped down on his skull, holding it in place.

"Calm down," The first agent said soothingly, "You're safe now."

The agent stood in front of Jet in the middle of a metal track. From behind him, a small orange lantern appeared attached the track and it began to circle in front of the agent, Jet's eyes unconsciously following it.

* * *

"Our economy will be ruined." Long Feng continued to explain to the four flabbergasted teens calmly.

* * *

"There's no war in Ba Sing Se." The Dai Li agent stated calmly, almost hypnotizingly.

"What're you talking about?" Jet demanded in confusion as his eyes followed the lantern around the track, "Where do you think all the refugees come from? You can't hide it!"

* * *

"In silencing talk of conflict, Ba Sing Se remains a peaceful, orderly utopia." Long Feng intoned as it if was some profound piece of wisdom, "The last one on Earth."

Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph stared at Long Feng with shock and utter at the revelation, their jaws slack and their eyes wide.

* * *

Jet tried to speak but a circle of square stones covered his mouth, muffling his protests as the lamp passed by his eyes again. The Dai Li agent standing in the middle of the metal track watched calmly as the lamp continued revolving around him.

"There is no war within the wall." The agent said firmly but calmly, "Here we are safe. Here, we are free."

The lamp passed again and Jet's eyes went wide, his protests falling silent as his pupils dilated and his mind went blank.

* * *

"You can't keep the truth from these people." Katara snapped at Long Feng, still horrified by what he was telling them, "They _have_ to know!"

Aang stepped forward and pointed a finger at Long Feng accusingly, "I'll tell them! I'll make sure everyone knows!"

"Until now, you've been treated as our honored guests." Long Feng drawled coolly as he stepped forward and bent down to look the young Avatar in the eye while Aang stared back angrily, "But from now on, you will be watched every moment by Dai Li agents. If you mention the War to anyone, you will be expelled from the city.

"I understand you've been looking for your bison." He commented as he turned around and began walking over to the hearth with the green fire then he looked over his shoulder at Aang, "It would be quite a shame if you were not able to complete your quest."

Aang's eyes went wide and he stared at the man in fright but soon his expression becomes angry again. Long Feng sat back down on the stool in front of the hearth just as the library doors open and a woman with short dark hair entered.

"Now, Joo Dee will show you to your home."

The woman turned to look at the teens with a large, blank smile on her face while the group stared back at her in surprise.

"Come with me, please."

"What happened to Joo Dee?" Katara asked in surprise and suspicion.

"I'm Joo Dee." The woman replied brightly and she inclined her head, "I'll be your host as long as you're in our wonderful city."

She smiled cheerfully at the group in the same blank, artificial way and the four teens looked at each other warily.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sweet baby Jesus, this is one loooong-ass chapter, just over 10k words, not including the two author's notes. And holy crap, my fingers are super cramped from typing. Anyhooties, I hope this chapter was up to y'all's expectations! Next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 15: Tales of Ba Sing Se and I'll try to update soon, so stay tuned!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are freaking awesome-sauce!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: Haha, I'm glad you liked the little Zukia moments in the last chapter. Well, Jet attempted to flirt, but Xia wasn't having none of that nonsense. XD Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Slightly Crazy Author: Sorry, I sent the link, I hope it helps. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: I know right? There are only like…I think 2 or 3 of them. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Molly Grace 16: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, Sokka was pretty hilarious in that episode. I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Becky: Haha, I'm sorry, I hope updating quickly this time makes up for taking forever with the last chapter. I'm glad you liked the Zukia moments in the last chapter, I thought it would be a cute little way to show their growing bond. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Morsmorde Caster: Haha, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**JadiexGurl: Haha, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I think I may have described the tattoos on her face vaguely in the beginning on chapter 21, but I can't remember. If you really wanna check out what she looks there's actually a picture on my profile of what I think Xia would look like, it also includes her tattoos, just imagine her in either an Air Nomad's clothes or a kind of Earth Kingdom peasant type outfit instead of what the girl in the picture is wearing. XD Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**BlueWinterMoon: Haha, sorry about that, I hope the wait for this chapter wasn't as torturous. I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Anon Guest: Haha, yeah, love-triangles drive me nuts sometimes. Anyhooties, I hope you liked chapter!**


	36. Chapter 36: Tales of Ba Sing Se

**AN: Chapter 36 takes place during Season 2 Episode 15: Tales of Ba Sing Se. Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

**PS – I just want to give a quick shout out to all my readers that faved, alerted, and reviewed this story. Seriously, YOU ARE ALL AWESOME-SAUCE! Every time I check my email and I see someone has reviewed, alerted, and/or faved, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Basically, I just wanted to let y'all know that I absolutely adore all of you! Now, enough of this sentimental crap before I get all emotional and onto the story!**

* * *

_**The Tale of Toph and Katara**_

Aang sat in front of the large mirror in the house he and his friends shared in Ba Sing Se and he carefully began shaving his head, smiling when his arrow tattoo was revealed. Beside him Sokka stared into the mirror critically for a moment then he used his machete to cut off the little bit of facial hair he had on his upper lip. He clicked his tongue and winked at his reflection, a small smirk on his face. Katara sat next to him in front of the large mirror, fixing her hair loopies and she smiled happily once they were in place.

Still smiling to herself, Katara stood and headed down the hall towards Toph's room. She slowly opened the door to reveal the young Earthbender lying face-down on her sleeping mat, her blanket lying sloppily on top of her and her hair a complete mess.

"Toph!" Katara gasped in surprise as she looked at the slightly younger girl, "Aren't you gonna get ready for the day?"

Toph sat up abruptly, her messy hair flying haphazardly around her face and she hacked then spat into a nearby metal vase that was on the floor, causing a loud _ding_ to fill the air as the vase spun around on impact. Katara stared at Toph in shock, her nose slightly scrunched in disgust. The blind Earthbender pushed herself lazily to her feet and brushed a large amount of dirt and dust from her sleeping dress.

"I'm ready."

"You're not gonna wash up?" Katara asked with a quirked brow and she gestured towards the younger girl, "You've got a little dirt on your…everywhere, actually."

'You call it dirt, I call it a healthy coating of earth!" Toph quipped with a smile as she put a hand on her chest.

"Hmmm…" Katara mused and she put a hand thoughtfully over her mouth, "You know what we need? A girl's day out!"

Toph made a face and whined, "Do I have to?!"

"It'll be fun!" Katara insisted with a grin as she grabbed the blind girl and pulled her out of her room so she could get ready.

* * *

"The Fancy Lady Day Spa?" Toph mumbled as she stood outside a large building with Katara just as two women in fancy robes walked out, "Sounds like my kinda place…"

Katara smiled gleefully and she looked at Toph mischievously, "Are you ready for some _serious_ pampering?"

"Sure, Katara, whatever you say." Toph sighed in reply, "As long as they don't touch my feet."

The dark-haired Waterbender smiled again and she led Toph into the building.

* * *

Katara smiled happily as she sat in one of the spa chairs while her feet were being scrubbed. A giggle escaped her when she glanced over to her right and saw Toph being held down by two attendants and another tried to scrape the thick layer of dirt off the blind girl's foot while Toph growled and twitched angrily in her chair. Suddenly, an explosion filled the room, knocking one of the attendants out into the hall and crumbling the room's doorframe after Toph Earthbended in annoyance.

Katara sighed quietly and then the two girls were led into another room were two mud baths were waiting. The two girls climbed into the mud baths and sat patiently as two attendants put mud-masks on their faces, covered their eyes with cucumber slices and wrapped their hair in towels to keep it out of the mud.

Top and Katara soaked contentedly in the mud and an attendant walked towards them with fresh towels. Mentally smirking, Toph inhaled quietly then exhaled once the attendant had reached her, bending the mud-mask into a scary face. The attendant squealed loudly and dropped the towels as she fled the room quickly. Katara took the cucumber slices off her eyes and looked over at Toph, the two girls laughing loudly together while the mud around Toph's mouth formed a large smile.

After their mud baths, the two girls were led into a sauna where they both relaxed happily on the wooden benches surrounding a steaming pile of rocks in the middle of the middle of the room. Toph slammed her heel into the ground and Earthbended another rock from the pile beside into the air, making it fly onto the pile of hot rocks in front of her. A moment later, Katara bended the water from a jug beside her onto the hot rocks, creating steam and both girls sighed in relief.

* * *

"Well, that wasn't so bad." Toph commented idly as she and Katara left the spa, both of them with makeup on their faces, and they walked through the streets of the city, "I'm not usually into that stuff but I actually feel…girly."

"I'm glad." Katara replied sincerely as she walked beside the younger girl, "It's about time we did something fun together."

The two walked across a bridge that had been built over a canal, passing three other girls heading in the other direction.

"Wow, great make-up." The girl holding an umbrella said with a smirk as she and her friends passed Katara and Toph.

"Thanks." Toph replied with a small smile.

"For a clown!" The umbrella-girl added and she laughed mockingly with her two friends.

Toph's smile disappeared and was replaced with a frown as she and Katara stopped walking. The Waterbender frowned slightly at put her arm consolingly over Toph's shoulder.

"Don't listen to them, let's just keep walking." Katara murmured quietly.

"I think she looks cute." The girl in the middle stated before Katara or Toph left, "Like that time we put a sweater on your pet poodle monkey."

The three girls laughed again and after the third girl piped in with a cruel smile.

"Good one, Star."

Katara glared at the three girls over her shoulder, "Let's go, Toph."

"No, no, that _was_ a good one. Like your poodle monkey." Toph said and she laughed sarcastically, shrugging Katara's arm off her shoulder as she turned slightly to face the three girls, "You know what else is a good one?"

She stomped her foot her foot and held out her hands, Earthbending a large circular part of the bridge the three girls were standing on. The three girls feel into the water-filled canal with small shrieks of surprise and Katara walked over to the hole.

"Now _that_ was funny." Katara remarked and she smirked down at the girls as she Waterbended a wave that swept the girls away, causing them to scream again.

Toph walked away from the bridge and Katara jogged after her, catching up after a moment.

"Those girls don't know what they're talking about." The Waterbender said quietly as she tried to reassure her friend.

"It's okay. One of the good things about being blind, is I don't have to waste my time worrying about appearance." Toph replied with shrug, "I don't care what I look like. I'm not looking for anyone's approval. I know who I am."

The blind girl stopped walking and a single tear slipped down her cheek.

"That's what I really admire about you, Toph." Katara stated quietly as she stopped beside her friend, "You're so strong, and confident, and self-assured."

Toph sniffed quietly and Katara put her hand gently on her shoulder.

"And I know it doesn't matter, but…" Katara continued softly with a small smile, "You're really pretty."

Toph turned towards Katara and smiled slightly, "I am?"

"Yeah, you are."

Toph's smile widened slightly and the two continued walking down the street.

"I'd return the compliment, but I've no idea what you look like." Toph quipped with a grin and Katara laughed, "Thank you, Katara."

The blind girl reached out and punched the slightly older girl in the arm, her way of showing affection.

"Ow!" Katara yelped quietly and she smiled ruefully as she rubbed her sore arm.

* * *

_**The Tale of Iroh**_

Iroh smiled serenely as he walked towards a shop selling baskets.

"IF this is for a romantic picnic, may I suggest this lavender one?" The shop owner suggested when he spotted Iroh examining a plain brown basket and he pointed towards a lavender-colored basket.

"No, it's not a romantic picnic, but it is a special occasion." Iroh replied with a slight chuckle as he handed the owner a coin and he picked up the brown basket he'd been looking at.

As he turned to walk away, Iroh spotted a vase containing a moon flower sitting in the side and he ambled over, sliding the vase into the shade and causing the flower to bloom instantly.

"The moon flower likes partial shade." Iroh explained and he bowed respectfully to the shop owner then he walked down the street.

The former Fire Nation general headed towards a shop he knew sold musical instruments and he began to idly examine the selection when he reached the booth. He was distracted from his perusal when he heard a child crying behind him and Iroh turned around, catching sight a sobbing little boy standing in the middle of the street as his mother tried to console him.

"Shhh…It's okay." The woman cooed gently as she tried to stop her son's crying, "Shhhh."

Iroh carefully picked up liuqin from the counter and began strumming it as he walked over to the mother and son.

"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow. Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam." Iroh sang as he approached and he kneeled in front of the boy as he continued to strum the instrument and sing, "Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy, comes marking home."

The little boy sniffled and his frown turned into a smile as he reached up and tugged on Iroh's long beard. Iroh groaned slightly and the little boy laughed gleefully, causing Iroh to smile and pat his beard gently. The boy's mother smiled at Iroh gratefully and she took her son by the hand, leading him away. Iroh smiled softly as he stood and watched them leave.

* * *

Iroh ambled into a small courtyard when he had finished shopping and he paused when he saw four boys playing earth soccer. He watched as one boy hit the ground with his foot, shooting the ball into the air with a small pillar of rock. The boy kicked the ball forward when it came back down and he Earthbended a small, curved chute for the ball to roll along towards the goal. Another boy quickly Earthbended two pillars, causing the ball to bounce off of them before it reached the goal and the ball was launched through the air, straight at Iroh.

Iroh's eyes went wide and he quickly dodged to the side, the ball passing his head harmlessly and breaking through the window that was behind him, creating a loud crash to come from inside.

"Hey!" Someone shouted angrily from inside and Iroh turned towards the four boys.

"It is usually best to admit mistakes when they occur, and seek to restore honor." Iroh said to the boys, but when loud noises suddenly came from behind them, they all looked toward the window with startled expressions.

A very large man's angry face suddenly appeared in the broken window and he glared at the four boys, "When I'm through with you kids, the window won't be thing that's broken."

"But not this time." Iroh said quickly and he turned towards the boys, "Run!"

He and the four boys scattered, rushing out of the small courtyard and heading in different directions. Iroh ran back down the market's street and he ducked into an alley, placing his basket down to peer cautiously around the corner to see if he was pursued.

"You!" Someone behind Iroh snapped suddenly and he jumped, looking over his shoulder to stare in surprise at the scruffy man holding a knife at him.

"Give me all your money!" The man demanded and Iroh turned around fully, his brows furrowing as he took in the man's horrible stance.

"What are you doing?" Iroh asked curiously with a quirked brow.

"I'm mugging you!"

Iroh _tsk'd _slowly, "With that stance?"

"Huh?" The man mumbled as he looked down at his stance then he glared at Iroh again, "What're you talking about? Just give me your money, old man!"

Iroh shook his head, "With a poor stance, you are unbalanced, and you can be easily knocked over."

Before the man could even blink, Iroh grabbed the arm holding the knife and pushed his other hand into the man's chest, knocking him to the ground while pulling the knife from his loosened grasp at the same time. The elderly man smiled cheerfully and twirled the knife idly then he helped his would-be mugger to his feet, handing the knife back to him.

"With a solid stance, you are a much more serious threat." Iroh explained and he demonstrated a proper stance, the man attempting to mimicking him, but still not getting it quite right.

Iroh clucked his tongue quietly and put his hand on the man's head, adjusting his stance with his foot.

"Much better." The older man praised with a small smile as the other man straightened, "But to tell you the truth, you do not look like the criminal type."

"I know…I'm…" The man sighed and looked at the ground, "I'm just confused."

Iroh nodded sagely in understanding.

* * *

"So you really think I could be a good masseur?" The man, now known as Tycho, asked as Iroh poured him a cup of tea.

"Of course!" Iroh replied sincerely as he poured his own cup of tea and sat beside Tycho in the alley.

"This is so great." Tycho stated happily, "No one has ever believed in me."

Iroh smiled at the man, "While it is always best to believe in oneself, a little help from others can a great blessing."

Tycho smiled back at him and nodded in agreement.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set when Iroh left the busy city streets and walked towards a hill with a large tree on it. The leaves were falling gently from the branches when Iroh reached the top of the hill and he approached the tree. Smiling slightly, he placed his basket on the ground and removed his hat, then he rested on his knees in front of the tree and began piling rocks at its base. Iroh quietly removed a piece of cloth which he draped over the rocks, then he removed some fruit, a small bag of rice, and a incense holder from the basket.

Smiling softly, Iroh turned back to the basket and took out a piece of paper. He stared at it for several moments then he sat it down so it was propped up on the pile of rocks. Finally, Iroh removed two incense sticks and he lit the tips with a little Firebending, then he placed them in the incense holder.

"Happy birthday, my son." Iroh murmured as he looked at the small memorial he had made for his son, Lu Ten, and tears began to stream down his cheeks, "If only I could have helped you."

Iroh began to sing, his voice cracking because of his tears, "Leaves from the vine, falling so slow. Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam. Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy, comes marching home…

* * *

_**The Tale of Aang**_

Aang soared over the sprawling city of Ba Sing Se on his glider, searching for any sign of Appa, or even possibly a sign of his big sister. The young Avatar sighed quietly and landed in the middle of the street he'd been flying over, twirling his glider closed as he looked around himself with vague dejection then he began walking down the street. His brow furrowed in curiosity as he looked at the cages on either side of the street, the different animals inside staring back at him with sad and depressed expressions from behind the bars of their cages.

Aang paused and looked up at a small cage with a couple of dragon-flies perched sadly inside it, their gossamer wings buzzing faintly. After a few moments, he continued walking through the empty zoo, stopping to stare down at the bored and depressed looking elephant-mandrill inside one ben before he moved onto another. The armadillo-lion stopped gnawing the bars of it cage as Aang approached and it got to its feet slowly, a low growl rumbling from its chest.

"Hey there, fellow." Aang cooed with a small smile as he dropped down to one knee and held his hand out to the armadillo-lion, "You look hungry."

The armadillo-lion stared at his hand for a moment then roared loudly at Aang, causing him to jump back in surprise with a small yelp. The armadillo-lion curled into a ball and rolled further into its pen as an older man with a broom walked over to Aang, sweeping slowly.

"Hmph," The man, most likely the zookeeper sniffed as he walked closer to Aang, who stared at him curiously, "They _are_ hungry."

Aang furrowed his brow as the man came to a stop in front of him and leaned against his broom, a despondent expression on his face.

* * *

"The Dai Li won't give me any money because the kids stopped coming." Kenji, the zookeeper explained as he led Aang around the rest of the zoo with his hands clasped behind his back, "And the kids won't come because my zoo's nasty and broke."

One of the cages caught Aang's eye and he gestured towards the animal hunched inside with its back to the bars.

"What kind of animal is that?" The young Airbender asked curiously as he and Kenji came to a stop in front of the cage.

"Oh, that's a rabaroo. I wish I could get her a big open prairie like she likes." Kenji commented wistfully as the rabaroo glanced over her shoulder at them, a depressed expression on her furry face, "I'd let her hop away to happiness."

Aang looked at the rabaroo for a moment then grinned up at Kenji, "Let's do it."

"Say again?" Kenji questioned with a surprised expression as he looked down at the bald boy.

"There's a big open space right outside the walks of the city." Aang explained and he gestured towards the wall as a plan began to form in his mind, his grin widening slightly.

"But who're you gonna transport all these wild critters?"

Aang grinned mischievously and he placed his staff against his shoulder as he looked up at Kenji, "Don't worry, I'm great with animals."

* * *

The group of hog-monkeys screeched as they wreaked havoc in one of the shops in Ba Sing Se, breaking pottery and throwing anything they could get their paws on. The owner of the shop came bursting out of the back of the shop, swinging a broom widely at the invading hybrid animals. The broom hit one of the hog-monkeys and sent it flying into the street, the others quickly racing after it as they fled the shop and ran across the street just as an elephant-mandrill came stampeding down it while two men ran for their lives.

Behind the stampeding elephant-mandrill, a group of screaming people raced out of an alley, covering their heads protectively as they were bombarded by a small swarm of dragon-flies. More people came running down the street as an angry platypus-bear charged after them, stopping and standing on its hind legs when another group of citizens were about to run out of the alley it had walked in front of. The platypus-bear growled and swung a clawed paw at the people, causing them to scream and run in the other direction, the platypus-bear pursing them. As the platypus-bear disappeared down the alley after the group of people, the armadillo-lion, rolled into a ball, bounced off the roof of a building then unrolled as it landed in the street, where it began running in the same direction the elephant-mandrill had gone previously.

On a different street, the formerly depressed rabaroo eagerly began devouring a cabbage from the cabbage merchant's cart, completely ignoring the man as he desperately tried to save some of his produce.

"My cabba-" The merchant began to wail only to stop mid-sentence when the rabaroo looked at him with a cabbage in her mouth.

The rabaroo chewed the cabbage in her mouth then went back to eating the others from the cart. The merchant huffed and walked away, throwing the cabbage in his hand over his shoulder as he left the cart of cabbages to be eaten by the hungry rabaroo.

"Oh forget it…"

* * *

A small swarm of dragon-flies buzzed and bombarded a group of screaming people in another street. Aang watched wide-eyed as he ran across the rooftops of the houses then he jumped and flipped through the air, landing in the street in front of the harassed citizens. He quickly twirled his staff around and looked around, catching sight of a man being attacked by two of the dragon-flies. Thinking quickly, Aang pointed his staff at the dragon-flies and blasted them away from the man with a small gust of wind, quickly doing the same to the rest of the dragon-flies.

Aang scratched the top of his head as the people ran in the opposite direction, "This was so much easier in my head."

Aang's expression suddenly brightened as an idea came to him and he snapped his fingers, pulling the bison whistle out of his shirt. He quickly tossed the whistle into the air and sucked in a great amount of air with the help of some Airbending. He caught the whistle as it fell back to the ground and he blew it, exhaling all the air he hand just inhaled to create a powerful sound wave that spread throughout the entire city.

Across the city, the hog-monkeys that had been wreaking havoc in another shop, stopped what they were doing and raced off in the direction the whistle was coming from. Like the hog-monkeys, the swarm of dragon-flies stopped harassing people and began flying towards the source. The rabaroo stopped devouring the cabbages, her floppy ears perking slightly then she hopped towards the source of the whistle.

Aang hurriedly created an air scooter and raced down the street, still blowing the bison whistle as the massive group of zoo animals rushed after him with a slow moving turtle-seat bringing up the rear.

* * *

Xiaodan squeaked quietly and jumped back into the shop she was about to exit when the stampeding heard of animals raced past, her unruly white hair blowing in her face from the speed of the animals. The pale-haired girl stared at the rapidly shrinking dust cloud that the animals created, her brows furrowing in surprise and confusion then she shrugged and stepped into the street, her basket of groceries held tightly in her arms as she headed back to hers, Iroh's, and Zuko's apartment.

* * *

Kenji looked up at the two guards standing in front of the wall pleadingly, "But you _have _to open this gate!"

"Or what?" One of the guards asked snidely as he stared down at the zookeeper.

Kenji pointed at the rapidly approaching stampede of animals following Aang, "Or_ that_!"

The guard's eyes went wide and he cupped his hands around his mouth to shout, "Open the gate!"

Both of the guards ran in opposite directions as the gate began opening, leaving Kenji standing in the middle. Aang, still on his air scooter raced towards the opening gate while he continued to blow the whistle with the animals racing after him.

As the gate opened wider, Aang stopped blowing the whistle and looked at the animals just behind him quickly then he snapped his glider open and dispersed his air scooter, taking off into the air. Kenji ran out of the way and the animals raced out of the gate while Aang soared up and over the wall. On the other side of the wall, the animals raced out of the opening and began spreading out in all directions as they ran into the large open space.

Aang quickly glided down behind the running animals and snapped his glider closed, creating another air scooter beneath him. He punched the ground as he rode the air scooter, Earthbending a large wall of earth as he rides in a large circle around the animals, creating one massive pen to keep the zoo animals from escaping into the wild. Once the wall of earth was finished, Aang jumped off his air scooter and landed in the center of the pen he had created, where he began Earthbending the individual pens for the other animals.

He lifted his hands to his chest then pushed them down, Earthbending a small pit then he turned and lifted his arms up high, causing some large earthen pillars to rise and form plateaus. Aang turned around again and punched one fist outward, Earthbending more walls which separated the animals.

Kenji stepped through the makeshift gates with the guards and several other citizens, all of them staring in amazement. Suddenly, two laughing and smile children pushed passed Kenji and raced into the newly formed zoo with eager expressions on their young faces.

Kenji walked over to the pen where the rabaroo was happily drinking from a small pond in her new enclosure while a bunch of people from the city began moving around the newly formed pens and looking at the animals. The zookeeper smiled faintly when the female rabaroo lifted her head up and stared up at him, a happy expression on her furry face. His smile widened when three young rabaroos poked their little heads out from their mother's pouch before she hopped away.

"Well, Mr. Zookeeper, how do you like your new facilities?" Aang asked as he approached Kenji with a happy smile, his staff held loosely in one hand.

"Excellent job, Avatar." Kenji praised as he smiled down at the bald boy, 'You should think about working with animals for a living."

Aang grinned, but a young boy's voice coming from behind him distracted him.

"Mommy, Miss Snowflake got out of the house again." The young boy commented as she pointed into the pen.

"Fluffykins?" Another guest questioned in confusion as she looked at the hissing cat standing in front of the elephant-mandrill, "What are you doing there?"

Kenji quirked a brow and cast a sidelong glance at Aang, "On second thought, you should still to saving people."

Aang laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, a small blush forming on his cheeks.

* * *

_**The Tale of Sokka**_

Sokka sighed as he walked down a candle-lit street in the large city later that night. Feeling bored, he pulled his boomerang from its sheath on his back and threw it into the starlit sky, catching it easily when it came back. He walked around an ornate building and headed down the alley beside it, passing through a couple of men struggling with their ostrich-horses. Soft voices coming from one of the building's open windows catch his attention and Sokka turned to look inside the window curiously.

"What's this?" He muttered to himself as he stuck his head inside the window and stared at the pretty young woman standing on a stage, reciting a haiku to group of ladies seated in front of the stage.

"Through all the long night, winter moon glows with bright love, sleet her silver tears." The young lady recited in a light, dreamy tone.

"Ahh," Sokka sighed happily as he rested his elbows on the windowsill and held his head up with his hands, "Poetry…"

Unbeknownst to him, the ostrich-horse behind him was still struggling with its handler and it suddenly kicked backwards, hitting Sokka's backside and sending him through the window, inside the room. The ladies jerked their heads around to stare at him, all of them giving startled shrieks as they look at him.

"I am so sorry." Sokka apologized hurriedly as he collected himself and he tumbled out of the window and further inside the room, "Something struck me in the rear. I just…wound up…here…"

The ladies laughed lightly and began to clap at his unintended haiku. Sokka stared at them in confused surprise for a moment then a large, pleased smile appeared on his face. An older woman, most likely the class' teacher stood slowly and clapped her hands mockingly.

"Five, seven, then five, syllables mark a haiku." She stated then inclined her head slightly to Sokka, "Remarkable oaf."

"They call me Sokka, that is in the Water Tribe." Sokka said slowly after a moment of thought then he counted five syllables on his hand, "I am not an oaf."

The young ladies giggled quietly behind their hands at his haiku while their teacher stared at him with narrowed eyes.

"Tittering monkey, in the spring he climbs treetops, and thinks himself tall."

"Oooooh!" The ladies chorused and looked at Sokka with eager expressions.

"You think you're so smart, with your fancy little words, this is not so hard." Sokka retorted with a condescending expression as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Oooooh!"

The teacher put her hands on her hips and glared at Sokka in annoyance then she walked up to the stage to stand in front of him, "Whole seasons are spent, mastering the form, the style, none call it easy."

"Oooooh!"

"I call it easy. Like I paddle my canoe, I'll paddle yours too!" Sokka quipped with a snicker and he turned around and patted his backside a few times, causing the ladies to laugh happily.

"There's nuts and there's fruits." The teacher snapped and she took a plum from her sleeve, dropping it on the stage then stepping on it, "In the fall the clinging plum drops, always to be squashed."

"Squish, squash, sling that slang. I'm always right back at ya, like my…" Sokka recited as he gestured with his arms then drew his boomerang, "Boomerang!"

The class laughed merrily while their annoyed teacher walked off the stage and retook her seat. Sokka grinned and turned to look at the class again, raising his arms up to silence the laughter as he sheathed his boomerang.

"That's right, I'm Sokka, it's pronounced with an 'okka', young ladies, I rocked ya!"

He grinned, but his smug smile disappeared when his 'haiku' was met with silence and he looked at the ladies in confusion, taking in their stony expressions and the self-satisfied look on the teacher's face. Sokka furrowed his brow and began counting the number of syllables in his haiku on his finger, realizing that his last line contained six syllables.

"Uh, that's one too many syllables there, bub." A large burly man commented as he grabbed Sokka by the collar of his tunic and threw him out the door of the building.

Sokka yelped as he crashed through the doors and landed on his back in the middle of the street. The young Water Tribe boy sighed and sat up, holding his head up with one hand.

"Poetry…"

* * *

_**The Tale of Zuko**_

"Uncle, we have a problem." Zuko hissed lowly as he walked towards the back of the shop, where Iroh was standing on a ladder and stacking things on a shelf behind the counter with Xiaodan's help.

Xiaodan gave the scarred teen a curious look as Iroh descended from the ladder.

"One of the customers is on to us. Don't look now, but there's a girl over there at the corner table." Zuko explained quietly as he subtly nodded towards the corner table near the front of the where a girl was drinking a cup of tea, "She knows we're Fire Nation."

Xiaodan peered curiously over Zuko's shoulder at the girl, quirking a brow when Zuko pushed her back with a scowl on his face. Iroh turned around to look at the girl, only for Zuko to grab his arm and turn him back around.

"Didn't I say don't look?!"

Xiaodan rolled her eyes and grabbed the tray from his hands, "You're being paranoid, Firebug."

The banished prince scowled at the white-haired girl's back as she disappeared into the back room to make another pot of tea, leaving him with his uncle behind the counter.

"You're right, Zuko." Iroh commented as he sneakily glanced at the girl over his shoulder, "I've seen that girl in here quite a lot. Seems to me she has quite a little crush on you."

Zuko gave his uncle a bewildered look, ignoring the giggling he could hear coming from Xiaodan, "What?"

"Thank you for the tea."

Zuko jumped slightly and turned around to look at the girl, who was holding out some coins. The banished prince ducked his head slightly and took the coins then turned around, placing them on the counter in front of him.

"What's your name?" The girl asked sweetly and Zuko tensed slightly.

Iroh smiled faintly and glanced up at Xiaodan as she exited the back room, holding the tray with a fresh pot of tea and several cups on it. She smiled slyly back at him and slipped gracefully past Zuko as he turned around to face the girl still standing in front of the counter.

"Excuse me." Xiaodan said politely as she stepped past the girl, who smiled briefly at her.

"My name's Lee." Zuko replied slowly as he looked at the girl, "My uncle, friend, and I just moved here."

"Hi Lee, my name's Jin." The girl, Jin, replied sweetly then she blushed faintly, "Thank you and…well, I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime."

Xiaodan coughed to cover her laughter at the stunned expression on Zuko's face as he looked at Jin with slightly wide eyes. She decided to ignore the strange feeling she felt as she poured a cup of tea for one of the customer's, offering the young man dressed in a police uniform a sweet smile when he thanked her.

"He'd love to!" Iroh agreed eagerly as he sidled up beside the still stunned Zuko, a wide grin on his aged face.

"Great!" Jin exclaimed happily as she smiled at Zuko, "I'll meet you in front of the ship at sundown."

Xiaodan smiled at the young girl as she walked out of the shop then she skipped over to Zuko, who was staring at the spot Jin had been standing in a moment ago with a bewildered expression on his face. Iroh grinned and threw his arm around his nephew's shoulder, which caused Zuko to snap out of his stupor and glare at his uncle.

"How cute, Firebug has a date." Xiaodan cooed teasingly as she placed the tray on the counter then she reached over and pinched Zuko's right cheek, laughing loudly when he swatted her hand away with a scowl.

* * *

Xiaodan bit her lip and tried not to smile as she stared at Zuko after Iroh had finished combing and slicking his messy hair back. A giggle escaped and the white-haired girl quickly covered her mouth with a hand when Zuko turned his head to glare at her.

"I look ridiculous." Zuko growled and he crossed his arms, almost pouting as he stared at the ground petulantly.

"No, no," Xiaodan insisted quickly, her orange eyes shining with mirth, "You look cute, Firebug."

Zuko lifted his head to give her a surprised look and Xiaodan ducked her head slightly, giving him small smile from behind her wild hair.

"It's almost sundown, you should get going." The pale-haired Airbender commented lightly as she almost glided towards the back of the shop to help Iroh clean up, "Have fun, Firebug."

Zuko grumbled to himself and shuffled towards the door of the teashop, stepping outside a moment later. He walked out in to the middle of the street and looked around for Jin. Behind him, Jin peered out from the alley then she stepped into the street and walked towards him.

"Hey. Well, look at you." She greeted with a small smile as she reached him then she reached up and ruffled his hair, "You look so cute."

Zuko swatted her hand away from his hair gently and began trying to fix his hair, "It took my uncle ten minutes to do my hair."

Jin just smiled and grabbed his arm, dragging him down the street. Zuko glanced back at the shop, his gold eyes briefly catching Xiaodan's molten orange orbs as she peered out the door of the teashop. She winked at him and disappeared back into the shop, the door shutting soundlessly behind her. The banished prince mentally shook himself and turned his attention to Jin as she led him to an open restaurant in the town square, where several people were doing various activities.

"So, how do you like the city so far?" Jin asked curiously as she took a sip of the tea she after they had ordered their food.

"It's okay." Zuko replied blandly as he stopped poking the meatball on his plate with his chopsticks without looking up at her.

Jin took another sip of her tea and gave the scarred teen in front of her an intrigued look, "What do you like to do for fun?"

"Nothing." Zuko muttered without looking at her, his thoughts drifting to Xiaodan and what her idea of fun was.

He coughed quietly and shook his head slightly to rid himself of those thoughts. The waiter approached and bent down slightly to address Zuko.

"Excuse me, sir. Would you and your girlfriend care for dessert?"

"She's _not_ my girlfriend." Zuko barked loudly in an assertive tone and he slammed his fist on the table, glaring angrily at the waiter as the whole restaurant went quiet, their attention focusing on Zuko and Jin.

The waiter stared at him curiously for a moment then walked way. Zuko sighed quietly and laced his fingers together, turning his attention towards Jin. He watched her in surprise as she ate the noodles from her bowl at a rapid pace, his brow quirking slightly at the sight.

"You have…quite an appetite for a girl." He commented awkwardly and began to twiddle his thumbs uncomfortably, trying to ignore the thought that Xiaodan would be laughing at him if she saw him right now.

"Um…thanks?" Jin replied just as awkwardly and she glanced around for a moment then looked back at Zuko, "So, Lee, where were you, your friend, and uncle living before you came here?"

"Um…" Zuko faltered as he thought of something to say, "Well, we've been traveling around for a long time."

"Oh. Why were you traveling so much?" Jin asked with genuine curiosity as she rested her elbows on the table and looked at him with an intrigued expression.

"We were…uh, part of a traveling circus." Zuko responded and mentally slapped himself in the forehead for such an idiotic answer, even if it seemed that Jin believed him.

"Really? What did you do? Wait, lemme guess!" The dark haired girl questioned eagerly and she thought for a moment then pointed at him, "You juggled!"

Zuko looked at her with a deadpanned expression as he folded his arms on the table, "Yes, I juggled."

"I've always wanted to learn how to juggle." Jin remarked and she held out a few objects she had grabbed from the table towards Zuko, "Can you show me something?"

The banished prince took the objects and stared at them unsurely for a moment then threw them into the air one by one. He tried to catch them, but missed all of them and one object, a piece of food, fell onto his head and broke into a bunch of pieces.

"I haven't practiced for a while." Zuko muttered in explanation at the amused look on Jin's face and he wiped the food from his face and hair.

"It's alright." Jin said with and understanding smile then she stood and grabbed his arm, "Hey, I want to show you one of my favorite places in the city."

* * *

"I'm so excited for you to see the Firelight Fountain." Jin stated happily as she led Zuko down a dark street, "The lamps make the water sparkle and reflect in the pool in the most beautiful way."

She led him into an open area with a large fountain in the middle and several posts with candles on top of them surrounding it in a circle, but the candles were unlit, leaving the small square dark.

"Aw, I can't believe it!" Jin complained in surprise as she looked at the dark area disappointedly, "They aren't lit."

Zuko looked around then he looked down at Jin, taking in her disappointed face briefly before looking back at the fountain.

"Close your eyes," He ordered quietly, ignoring her surprised look, "And don't peek."

He waited until she had covered her eyes with her hands then he took a few steps forward, holding his hands together. He closed his own eyes and inhaled deeply, opening his eyes a moment later as he began Firebending. Using his pointer and middle fingers on each hand, he shot small bursts of fire at each of the candles on the posts and the candles that were floating in the fountain, lighting all of them. Once all the candles were lit, Zuko straightened and turned to look at Jin, who had her hands over her eyes still.

"Okay, now you can look."

Jin lowered her hands and gasped as she looked at all the lit candles, "Oh, wow!"

She stared at the candles then walked up to Zuko with an amazed expression on her face. Zuko stared back at her quietly, feeling only slightly uncomfortable as she looked between him and the candles.

"What happened? How did they get lit? What did you do?" Jin asked in awe then she shook her head and smiled happily at him.

Zuko just smiled faintly and the two turned to look at the fountain again. Jin bit her lip and glanced at the scarred teen at her side as he stared at the fountain then she casually brushed her hair through her hand through her hair and she smiled up at him as she took his hand in hers.

Zuko started slightly and looked down at the girl's smiling face in mild confusion, the two turning to face each other fully. Jin bit her lip for a moment then leaned forward to kiss him, but Zuko quickly pulled out a piece of paper and held it between their lips.

"I've brought you something." He said when Jin looked at him in surprise, "It's a coupon for a free cup of tea."

Jin smiled slightly and took the coupon, "Lee, this is so sweet."

Zuko shrugged slightly and took a few steps back, "Don't thank me, it was my uncle's idea. He thinks you're our most valuable customer."

"Your uncle is a good teacher." Jin commented and she walked towards him, placing his hand gently on his cheek and turning his head towards her, "I have something for you too. Now it's your turn to close your eyes."

The scarred teen hesitated a moment then closed his eyes, Jin leaning forward and pressing a chaste kiss to his lips before pulling back slightly. Zuko moved forward slightly and kissed her back, only to step back immediately afterward as his eyes widened slightly. Almost unbidden, thoughts of Xiaodan bombarded his mind as he stood still and stared at Jin, then he turned around and began walking away from her.

"What's wrong?" Jin asked in confusion as she watched him stop, his back to her.

"It's complicated." Zuko replied quietly without turning around and he took a step forward, but Jin's next words froze him in place again.

"You like her don't you?" She asked understandingly as she folded her hands in front of her, "Your friend, the girl with white hair that works with you. She's really lucky."

Zuko turned his head slightly then kept walking, "I have to go."

Jin watched him run down the street with a disappointed and wistful expression.

* * *

Xiaodan rested on her stomach on her futon in the living room of the studio apartment she shared with Iroh and Zuko. She kicked her feet slightly and watched Iroh as he looked out the window with a small pair of hedge clippers in his hand.

"What are you doing Iroh?" Xiaodan asked in amusement, even though she knew exactly what the older man was doing, she just couldn't resist teasing him a little.

Iroh was about to reply when the front door opened and Zuko walked inside, closing the door behind him quietly without a word. Iroh quickly went back to trimming the bush in the window flowerpot as if he'd been doing that the whole time while Xiaodan pushed herself into a cross-legged position on her futon, a curious expression on her face.

"How was your night, Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked nonchalantly, but Xiaodan caught the small smile on his aged face.

Zuko didn't respond as he walked into the room he shared with his uncle, slamming the paper doors shut behind him. Iroh turned to look at the closed doors with a confused expression then he exchanged an interested look with Xiaodan. The white-haired girl shrugged and twirled her finger in a circle near her temple, smiling slightly at the chiding look Iroh gave her before he went back to trimming the flower bush.

The doors to the bedroom suddenly opened a crack, causing Iroh and Xiaodan to look over at them just as part of Zuko's face appeared in the crack between the two doors.

"It was nice." He muttered and he closed the doors, softer this time,

Iroh smiled and resumed his work happily, keenly noticing the way his young white-haired friend was staring at the paper doors with a perplexed look on her tanned and tattooed face. The former general's smile widened slightly in amusement.

* * *

_**The Tale of Momo**_

'_Momo chittered happily as he perched on Appa's head, the sky bison flying towards a massive tree that was so tall it towered above the clouds. Appa flew towards the tree and hovered under its branches and vines, which were heavy with ripe fruit. Momo chittered happily again, jumping off Appa's head and flying towards one of the branches. The lemur began pulling pieces of fruit off the vines, tossing some down to his friend then eating another piece. Momo chewed on his piece of fruit contentedly, not really noticing the way Appa had flown closer until his large head was level with Momo's smaller one. The lemur looked at his flying friend curiously then Appa suddenly roared loudly, causing Momo to shriek in fear…'_

Momo squeaked fearfully as a loud clap of thunder startled him awake and he leapt off the windowsill he'd been sleeping on and into Sokka's green satchel that was hanging nearby. After a moment, Momo poked his head up and out of the bag, blinking slowly as he looked out the window. He crossed his eyes when something hanging between them caught his attention and he grabbed it, pulling the clump of white fur off his head and holding it on his hand. Momo looked at the fur then sniffed it curiously, chittering when Appa's familiar scent reached his nose.

Momo looked out the window and caught sight of a large shadow as it crossed the ground outside the window. Thinking it's his lost friend, Momo wrapped the bunch of fur around his foreleg then soared out of the window towards the shadow to investigate if the shadow really did belong to his missing friend. Momo followed the shadow until he could no longer see it on the ground then he quickly climbed up a tree and poked his head out from the leaves, flattening his ears sadly when he realized the shadow had been caused by a cloud.

The despondent lemur held up his arm and looked down at the fur tied too it, chittering a moment later when he noticed something else. His ears perk up as he stared at what looks like the top of Appa's head, his horns, and the top of his back on the other side of a house's roof. Quickly, Momo flew towards the house, grumbling in disappointment when he saw it was not his friend, but a tree with white leaves and branches that stuck out in a similar way to the sky bison's horns. Momo landed on one of the branches, his ears drooping in disappointment.

* * *

Momo flew quietly above one of the many streets in the city, landing on a barrel of water a moment later. The lemur began lapping at the water eagerly, his long tail waving slowly in the air, where it accidently knocked over a stick that was sitting nearby. The sound of the stick hitting the street alerted the three pygmy pumas that had been rummaging in the garbage nearby. The pygmy pumas prowled towards the noise, beginning to growl when they saw Momo sitting on the barrel and they pounced on him.

Momo squealed and jumped away before the pygmy pumas landed on him, darting into a box with an opening that was just big enough for him to fit through, but too small for the pygmy pumas. The three pumas surround the box and began growling at it, two of the pumas trying to catch Momo through the opening he had slipped into and a crack at the top of the box.

The lemur looked around the box for a way out and he spotted another hole at the back of the box, which he quickly slipped through. He quickly ran around the pumas and leapt into the air, soaring down the street as the three pumas gave chase from atop the roof of a building. Two of the pygmy pumas leapt onto a clothesline in front of the Momo, forcing him to fly higher, but the third puma smacked him out of the air when Momo was about to pass the rooftop it had been waiting on.

Momo hit the ground with a small thump and he quickly got to his feet, running on foot into a crowd of people, where the pygmy pumas do not chase him. The lemur squeaked when he was suddenly picked up by a man and a little green hat was placed on his head just before he was tossed inside the circle of people where two monkeys were already dancing to the beat of an organ grinder. Momo stood still for a moment then he began dancing along, the crowd cheering and clapping while the pygmy pumas stalked the lemur from outside the circle of people, watching him from between the legs of the humans.

Suddenly one of the monkeys jumped onto Momo's head and it balanced itself on one hand while the second monkey jumped onto the first monkey's feet, leaving Momo to struggle to keep his balance. Momo was just about to topple over when the pygmy pumas roared and lunged at him from between two people. Momo shrieked and tried to fly away, but one of the pumas was holding onto his back, slowing him down while the other two pumas give chase. The two pumas finally caught of up to the slowing Momo and they jumped, grabbing the lemur with his paws and bringing all for animals crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, Momo chittered in outrage at the puma pining him to the ground while the other two prowl around nearby in preparation to strike. However, before any of the three pumas can harm Momo, a new suddenly flies out of the shadows and captures all four animals then it drags them off.

* * *

Momo flicked his ears in annoyance as a human shoved him into a cage and locked it with a metal peg to keep the doors from opening, the three pygmy pumas locked in the cage next to him. The cart the cages were in began to move and Momo lifted the arm with the scrap of fur tied to it, gently rubbing it against his face. The cart came to a stop outside of a one-story building and from the cage Momo could see two humans talking though he couldn't understand what they were saying. The lemur looked over at the three pygmy pumas, who were scratching at their cage and growling fearfully. Momo turned his attention away from them and reached his hand through the bards of his cage, removing the peg that was holding his cage shut. He pushed the cage door open and began to run away, only to stop a moment later and looked back at the helpless pumas. The three pygmy pumas stare back at him with sad, desperate eyes from their cage and after a moment, Momo leapt back onto the cart and removed the peg from their cage, freeing them just in time as the two men had approached the cage, only to find them empty.

* * *

Momo sat on one of the rooftops in the city with the three pygmy pumas surrounding them, watching the clouds as they moved slowly across the night sky. One of the pumas rubbed against Momo affectionately, a deep purr rumbling from its chest. Suddenly, another of the pumas grabbed the scrap off fur tied to Momo's arm and pulled it off then it ran off, the other two pumas following after it. Momo chattered loudly in irritation and confusion, as he flew after his three new friends. The pumas led Momo through the streets of Ba Sing Se until finally the one that had taken the scrap of fur stopped and placed the bunch of fur in the middle of a large impression in the ground.

Momo landed in the middle of the hole and the pumas ran off. Momo stared at the hole he was in for a moment, his ears pricking when he realized it was actually a rather familiar footprint made by Appa. Chattering to himself, Momo laid down on the ground and clutched the scrap of fur tightly, the pumas sitting nearby and watching the lemur as it began to rain softly.

* * *

_**The Tale of Xiaodan**_

"So, how was your date?" Xiaodan asked casually as she and Zuko shopped for groceries the market in the lower ring the morning after his date with Jin, a basket hanging from her arm.

Zuko furrowed his brow in slight annoyance and he cast a sidelong glance at her as they walked.

"I told you and Uncle last night." He grumbled in aggravation as he remembered his date, "It was nice."

"Did you kiss?"

Zuko stopped walking instantly and glared at her, his annoyance more obvious now. Xiaodan took a few more steps then turned around to look at him with an innocent expression on her tattooed face, her dark brows quirked slightly.

"What kind of question is that?" The banished prince demanded angrily and he crossed his arms defensively.

"The nosy kind." The female Airbender quipped back, giving him a impish grin that caused her molten orange eyes to dance with mischief, "C'mon, Firebug, I thought we were friends."

'"_You like her don't you? Your friend, the girl with white hair that works with you. She's really lucky."_**'**

Zuko jolted slightly when Jin's statement from last night entered his mind and he quickly shook his head, scowling when he saw the curious and slightly worried expression on Xiaodan's face.

"Firebug?" She questioned and she took a few steps towards him, "You alright?"

"Fine." He mumbled in reply and he quickly walked passed her, "Can we keep walking?"

Xiaodan quirked a brow at him as she hurried forward so she was walking beside him, "Okay then…"

They walked in a slightly awkward yet companionably silence, Zuko futilely trying to avoid meeting her eyes while Xiaodan stared at him in bemusement from the corner of her eye.

"So…" Xiaodan commented idly as she stopped in front of a merchant selling herbs and she gave Zuko a sly smile, "Did you kiss or what?"

The glared at her in aggravation while trying to ignore the blush heating his cheeks when she smiled knowingly at him.

"You are the strangest girl I've ever met." He snapped angrily, rubbing his face with his hands.

Xiaodan gave him a cheeky smile and turned to face him, rocking back on her heels slightly, "Really? I thought I was the only _normal _girl you've ever met."

The look he gave her could have burnt toast but just caused her to laugh lightly and she ducked her head slightly, her unruly white hair covering her face slightly.

"If it helps, you're the least strangest boy I've met." She offered with a small smile as she looked up at him almost shyly from under her hair.

Zuko blinked in surprise, his mouth going dry as he stared down at her. He didn't know how to respond to that and even if he did know how, she didn't give him a chance to.

"Well, that's enough grocery shopping." She commented as she swung the basket gently in her hand and began walking back towards their apartment, "I don't know about you, but I'd rather spend my day off doing something fun instead of shopping."

The scarred prince stared after her for a moment before hurrying to catch up to the confusing white-haired Airbender, the back of his hand brushing against her gently as they walked side-by-side. Xiaodan smiled and ducked her head slightly, using her long hair to hide the faint blush that she felt burning her cheeks as their hands brushed gently again.

* * *

"This is your idea of fun?" Zuko asked drily as Xiaodan dragged him through the Ba Sing Se zoo after they had dropped off the groceries at their apartment.

"Well, since I haven't found anywhere for us to spar safe," Xiaodan countered matter-of-factly as she pulled him towards one of the pens by his hand, "Yes, yes it is. Do _you_ have any better ideas?"

The banished prince opened his mouth to retort then he closed it a second later when he realized he didn't have a better idea. Zuko huffed and tugged his hand from the white-haired girl's grasp so he could cross his arms over his chest. Xiaodan ignored his sulking as she leaned against the pen, awing at the cute little family of rabaroos.

"Aw, look at the cute little babies!" She cooed with a happy smile, watching the three smaller rabaroos playing in the grass, "Aren't they adorable?"

Zuko grunted quietly, his gaze focused on her instead of the hybrid animals in the enclosure they were standing next to. She smiled up at him briefly then skipped over to another pen, _oohing and awing _while he trailed behind her, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he watched her. As he watched her, he contemplated what Jin had said about him liking the annoying white-haired Airbender currently making faces at a couple hog-monkeys. After a moment, he snorted and shook his head, deciding to deny any possibility of ever liking the girl.

* * *

Xiaodan laughed as she climbed onto the roof of the apartment with Zuko trailing behind her. They had left the zoo a little bit ago and the sun was high in the sky, signaling that it was now midday. She sighed happily and held her arms out, closing her eyes as a faint breeze caressed her face and played with her air. Zuko walked forward so he was standing beside her, his arms crossed and his customary scowl in place as he looked at the parts of the Lower Ring.

"This is nice." She commented idly as she tilted her head so the sun was on her face, "Peaceful."

Zuko grunted again and turned his head slightly so he was looking at her out of the corner of his eye. Xiaodan let her arms drop and she turned to face him, a small frown marring her face before she smiled mischievously. Zuko's eyes narrowed and he regarded her warily, feeling mildly uncomfortable with the way she was looking at him. Suddenly she stepped forward and grabbed his cheeks, stretching his mouth into a forced smile. The scarred teen jerked away from her and rubbed at his slightly sore cheeks, glaring at her when she started laughing.

"You should smile more, Zuko. It suits you better than a scowl."

Zuko stared at her with his brows raised in surprise. Xiaodan tilted her head slightly and gave him a small, confused smile.

"What?"

"You called me Zuko." He stated and he watched interestedly as her tanned cheeks darkened with a blush and she looked off to the side.

"Well, yeah, that's your name, Firebug." Xiaodan retorted with a dismissive flick of her hand and she tried to ignore the way her blush was deepening the longer he stared at her.

The scarred teen stared at her for a few more moments then looked back at the sprawling city in front of him, his arms once again crossed over his chest. Xiaodan bit her lip and glanced at him shyly from the corner of her eye.

"Hey, I…" Xiaodan faltered and cleared her throat, "Did you and Jin actually kiss?"

"Not this again." Zuko groaned and he turned his head to glare at her, "I'm no-"

His words were suddenly cut off when something soft pressed against his mouth and he stared at Xiaodan with wide golden eyes as she kissed him chastely, her own molten orange eyes still open.

Xiaodan pulled away and took a few steps back, her face burning brightly as she looked anywhere but at him. Zuko stared at her in stunned surprise, his eyes still wide and jaw slack.

"Um…yeah, so…" She cleared her throat and looked up at the sky quickly, "Oh would you look at the time. I better be getting to the teashop for my shift. See you later, Firebug."

Xiaodan didn't give him any time to respond as she jumped off the roof of the building, using Airbending to slow her descent then she began running towards the teashop without looking back.

* * *

Zuko stared dumbly after the white-haired girl's retreating form for a moment, before realization dawned on him and he hurried to climb off the roof.

"Xia!" He shouted when he reached the street below, ignoring the looks the other citizens were giving him as he pushed through the crowd after the white-haired girl that had just kissed him then run away, "Xia, you little pest!"

The banished prince scowled when he heard her faint laughter and he hurried to get to the teashop.

* * *

**Author's Note: OhmiGod, don't kill me! –hides behind Ran and Shaw–  
I know I was supposed to update forever ago, but I got busy with life, other stories, and a lack of inspiration for this story. I apologize again for not updating sooner and I'll try not to leave this story hanging for so long again, since I'm on summer break now. Anyhooties, I hope you guys like this long, long awaited chapter! Next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 16: Appa's Lost Days.**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are just freaking awesome-sauce!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Inigo Montaya: **Haha, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **I know right? I always kinda feel bad for Jet in that episodes. Yeah, I don't like Long Feng very much either, he's a terrible. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**JadiexGurl: **No problemo! I hope you liked the plethora of Zukia moments in this chapter! Xia and the GAang will be reunited soon, I'm just not sure when yet. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Vicky Lexi Bennett: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, no arresting for Xia…Well, at least not yet, she might get into some mischief at some point. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**LadyAmazon: **Haha, thank you. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, but I hope you like it!

**AmbrosiaMaestro: **Buahaha, sorry, but Zuko did go out with Jin, but at least some of his thoughts were on Xia during his 'date'. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Slightly Crazy Author: **Sorry, but nope, at least he doesn't go on an official date with Xia. The whole zoo trip during _The Tale of Xiaodan_ might be classified as a date, but neither of them really saw it like that. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**FoShizzleMySizzle: **Thanks, I'm just sorry it took me so long to actually update this chapter. Hopefully, I'll be able to update a lot quicker now that my inspiration is back and I don't have to worry about school. I'll try to incorporate a few Xia/Jet moments into a later chapter, before he, you know, dies in the series. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Becky: **I am so, so, so sorry for not updating sooner! I know I updated a few of my other stories and I would have updated this one, but I just didn't have the inspiration or the motivation to actually sit down and write this chapter until now. Anyhooties, I'll try to get back to my previously every other day to every two days updating schedule. Anyhooties, I hope this chapter was worth the wait!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Well, technically he died in the episode where the GAang went to rescue Appa, at least according the little commentary bubbles and the Avatar: The Last Airbender wikia, he did. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Cookie Mafia Boss: **Thanks, I hope you like this chapter and sorry for the lateness!

**Sensible One: **Thanks! Unfortunately, it's taken me forever to get this chapter up, but I hope you like this one too!

**PV's fan: **Thanks, I hope you like this chapter!

**Eternal Cosmic Sailor Saturn: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, I think Zuko might be getting what Xia's trying to unconsciously tell him now. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Jibbette: **Aw, thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far! I hope you like this chapter too!

**Domo2010: **Thank you! It always makes me happy to know that people enjoy my story so much! I'm glad you liked my slow approach to Zuko's and Xia's romance, it's starting to blossom now, but it'll still be a little while until it's full developed and something may happen to put that on hold. Anyhooties, I hope you liked the Xiabug moments in this chapter, because there are quite a few of them!

**Cat of Flames: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the ending to the last chapter! I hope you like this chapter too!

**23blackgem: **Thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far! I hope you like this chapter too!

**88dragon06: **Thanks, I'm glad you like the last chapter! I felt bad for Jet in these episodes too, but I'm glad you liked the fight between him and Zuko, plus Xiaodan's help. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Anon Guest 1: **Thanks I hope you like this chapter!

**Anon Guest 2: **Thanks, sorry for the late update but I hope you like this chapter!

**Anon Guest 3: **I hope you liked this chapter!

**Anon Guest 4: **Xia is also a Firebender, but that part of her has been buried deep into her subconscious, so she kinda forgot that she could Firebend. Don't worry though, she'll be Firebending soon.

**Anon Guest 5: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked my story enough to review, that means a lot to me! Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Anon Guest 6: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the story so far! So sorry for the late update, but I hope you like this chapter since I think it's much better than an author's note. :]

**Ariannaxox: **Sorry for the late update, I hope you like this chapter!

**Jasmyn: **Sorry, for taking so long, I'm not sure if I answered your other reviews already, so I'm going to answer this one too. I'm so sorry for not updating sooner, I don't hate you guys I promise, I've just been having some trouble getting the motivation to actually write this story. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter despite the long wait!


	37. Chapter 37: Appa's Lost Days

AN: Chapter 37 takes place during Season 2 Episode 16: Appa's Lost Days. Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!

* * *

_**Four Weeks Ago…**_

"No! Stop sinking!" Toph shouted as she tried to hold up the sinking library.

Appa growled threateningly as the Sandbenders continued to tie him with ropes. One of the Sandbenders tugged on the rope tied to Appa's head and the sky bison tossed his head back, sending the Sandbender flying through the air where he then tumbled through the sand when he hit the ground. Appa swung his tail, causing two other Sandbenders to let go of the ropes they were holding and run away to avoid the sky bison's tail. Appa roared and tossed his head again as he became even more annoyed with what was going on.

"Don't make me put this down!" Toph screamed and she let go of the library and sent a slice of sand at the Sandbenders, only to miss completely as she turned to grab the library again.

"Put a muzzle on him!" The lead Sandbender ordered loudly.

One of the other Sandbenders tossed a rope around Appa's mouth, but the enraged sky bison snapped his mouth open and broke the rope then he lunged at the offending Sandbender, knocking him over. A rope was thrown over Appa's horn and the Sandbenders tug on the ropes in an attempt to force Appa's submission while another Sandbender stepped forward to try and muzzle Appa again. Appa growled and tossed his head, sending the Sandbender trying to muzzle him flying through the air then the sky bison attempt to take off into the sky, but one of the Sandbenders threw a rope around Appa's leg, using Sandbending to secure his feet to the ground. The other Sandbenders quickly follow the man's example and secure their feet to the ground, then they all forced Appa to the ground. A sand-sailer sailed up next to Appa's trapped form and the Sandbenders used their bending to drag Appa with the three sand-sailers.

"I'm sorry, Appa." Toph whispered regretfully as she listened to the Sandbenders drag the sky bison away and she closed her eyes, sniffling quietly.

Appa rumbled lowly as he was dragged away, his eyes drifting shut.

* * *

When the Sandbenders had traveled far enough away, the lead Bender lowered the mask that kept his mouth covered and held up his arm, signaling the others to stop the sand-sailers.

"Ransack his saddle." The leader ordered as he jumped off the sand-sailer he had been riding on, "Who knows what treasures are stashed in there!"

Two Sandbenders ran up to Appa, only to back away quickly when the sky bison growled and bared his teeth threateningly at them.

"He's tied up good. He can't hurt you." The lead Sandbender snapped with an eye roll and he watched as his two men jumped into the sky bison's saddle, stirring up some sand.

Appa accidently inhaled some of the sand and snorted quietly just before he sneezed, sending the sand-sailer stopped in front of him flying into a sand dune. The lead Sandbender sneered and turned his back on the sky bison while the two men began tossing the saddle's contents onto the ground.

"What's your father gonna do when he finds out we lost a sand-sailer?" One of the Sandbenders demanded as he walked up to the leader of the group.

"Nothing. It's the one we stole from the Hami Tribe." The leader replied with a smirk then he turned to address the men as they continued tossing things from the saddle, "Did you empty the saddle?"

The lead Sandbender didn't wait for a reply as he stomped over to the stuff that littered the ground beside the sky bison.

"That's it? Nothing but garbage!" He snapped with a scowl when he saw nothing of value among the items and he angrily kicked the club that was one the ground, "Doesn't matter. We'll still make a profit selling him to those beetle-headed merchants."

Behind him, the Sandbender that had just climbed out of Appa's saddle picked up the parasol and opened it, ignoring the irritated look his leader gave him as he held it above his head.

* * *

"How's his temper?" One of the beetle-headed merchants asked as he and two others walked around Appa after the Sandbenders had dragged him to their camp.

"Uh, pretty good." The lead Sandbender replied with a shrug, chuckling awkwardly when Appa roared loudly and startled the merchants, "Most of the time."

"I bet someone will pay a fortune for him in Ba Sing Se." A second merchant commented eagerly as he looked at the trussed up sky bison, greed shining in his eyes.

"Alright," The first merchant agreed with a smug smirk, "You've got a deal."

The youngest of the beetle-head merchants handed the lead Sandbender a chest. The Sandbender smirked as he opened then closed the chest before walking off to the side with the rest of his men. The Sandbenders were climbing onto their sand-sailers while the merchants used a large beetle to drag Appa onto a caged sled.

* * *

"Appa! Appa!" Aang shouted loudly as he glided over the desert, his eyes straining for any sign of his animal friend before he pulled out his bison whistle and blew on it.

* * *

Appa, who had remained somewhat docile as the merchants loaded him onto the sled, heard the familiar high pitched whistle and his eyes widened. He looked around himself for a moment then he began violently rocking the caged sled in an effort to break free, startling the merchants.

"He's your problem now!" The lead Sandbender shouted with a laugh as he and his men sailed away on their sand-sailers, leaving the beetle-headed merchants to deal with the sky bison.

"What?" One of the merchants shouted in distress as Appa slapped his tail against the ground and began to fly away, lifting the caged sled and the large beetle that was still attached to it at the same time, "We need the shirshu spit darts!"

"Got 'em!" Another merchant called out as he pulled a dart blower from his robe and he quickly loaded the spit darts into it, "Okay big fella, you're gonna take a nice little snoozle."

He blew the darts and they struck Appa's foot. Appa groaned and his pupils dilated then his eyes rolled back into his head as the shirshu venom took effect, causing him to collapse on the ground.

* * *

Aang frowned slightly as he landed on a sand dune and he snapped his glider closed, "Appa!"

He looked around the empty desert, his eyes beginning to water and he closed them tightly.

"No." He whispered and his eyes snapped open, blazing with anger, "No!"

Aang roughly slammed his glider against the sandy ground, his anger causing him to Airbend a massive cloud of dust into the air.

* * *

Appa hazily caught sight of the large mushroom cloud in the distant before it was blocked by two of the merchants.

"We've got to get rid of this one." One of the men said as Appa's vision began to fade, "He's too much trouble."

"We can sell him for parts." The second merchant suggested just as Appa's vision when black and he slipped into unconsciousness with a small sigh.

* * *

"Aw, I understand you've had a rather hard time lately."

Appa groaned quietly as he regained consciousness and his vision cleared, revealing a strangely dressed man standing on the outside of a cage he was in.

The man crossed his arms, "That's too bad. You probably felt you had no choice but to behave outrageously, like a wild animal."

Appa grunted when the man stepped forward and patted his head.

"But don't worry. You won't anymore." The man continued and his tone became dark, "Because I am going to break you."

Appa grumbled against and looked around him, seeing other cages with other animals in them.

* * *

The circus trainer walked into the tent where the animals were kept, pushing a cart of cabbages in front of him. He passed a cabbage to a caged platypus-bear as he walked past its cage, passing by Appa without giving him anything. Appa grumbled and lifted his chained legs then tried to bite the chains off, to no avail.

"Hungry?" The trainer asked rhetorically after he gave another cabbage to a lion-vulture and he turned to look at the sky bison, "Don't worry, I'm going to feed you too."

The trainer held a cabbage out to Appa, who began to drool then he tried to slurp it out of the trainer's hand, only for the man to pull it away from him with a smirk.

"But not yet." The man stated darkly and he walked back over to the lion-vulture, his back to Appa, "First, I'm going to show you how you'll earn it."

The trainer gave the lion-vulture the cabbage then he opened its cage. The lion-vulture stepped out of its cage and began flying around the tent, the trainer using a fire-whip to control it and direct it through the hoops in the tents. Appa watched the man for a moment then looked over at the unattended cart of cabbage, sneakily using Airbending to bring the cart closer to cage then he sucked up one of the cabbages.

The trainer, unaware of what was happening behind him, directed the lion vulture through two rings that were hanging from the ceiling of the tent, making loops, then he grabbed a third ring and threw it at the trainer.

"Of course, when you perform, the hoops will be flaming." The trainer stated as he caught the ring easily without turning around to look at the sky bison, "And if you are careful, you won't get burned."

Appa suddenly belched loudly and the circus trainer whirled around, his eyes flashing with anger.

"You're about to be sorry." The trainer hissed and he Firebended another fire-whip, which used to create a small wall of fire in front of Appa's cage, causing the bison to roar in panic, "It's obvious that whoever your previous owner was, he had no idea how to handle you properly."

* * *

Later that night, the loud sounds of circus music and people filling the surrounded tents reached Appa's ears from the open partially opened flap of the tent his cage was in. He grumbled lowly as he attempted to suck up a bale of hay closer to his cage so he could eat it. He had almost managed it when a young boy standing just outside the open tent flap caught his eye and Appa turned to look at him curiously.

Appa stared at the boy for a moment then licked one of the cage bars. The boy smiled slightly in understanding, his head slightly to the side. The boy suddenly jumped and turned around quickly when his father approached him.

"I'm gonna go get a bag of sizzle crisps." The man stated and he pointed at the ground as he glared at his son, "Stay here and stay away from that monster. Behave yourself or you'll regret it."

The boy watched his father disappear into the crowd for a moment then he ran into the tent, hurriedly rolling the bale of hay right up to Appa's cage. Appa rumbled and licked the boy's face in appreciation before munching down on the hay eagerly. The boy suddenly heard voices coming and he ran away, disappearing back out the tent flap. Appa watched the boy leave before his attention was pulled to the two approaching me.

"He's a difficult creature, stubborn and willful." The trainer explained to the circus master as they came to a stop in front of Appa's cage, "I need more time with him. It's too risky right now."

"Too risky? What are you talking about?" The circus master demanded with a scoff and he raised his hands, "This is the circus, home of fear and danger"

He pointed at Appa aggressively, "I want the wind buffalo to perform tonight."

The trainer watched the circus master leave the tent then he turned towards the sky bison, his eyes narrowing.

"If you don't behave yourself, you'll regret." The trainer hissed dangerously and he Firebended a flame in front of Appa, causing the sky bison to rear back in fear, then the trainer walked away.

Appa growled and barred his teeth at the trainer's retreating back then he looked towards the open tent flap, catching sight of the young boy from before. The young boy smiled reassuringly at Appa and the sky bison rumbled quietly.

"Let's go." The boy's father snapped as he reappeared and he grabbed the boy by the shoulder.

"See you later, buddy." The boy called out quietly as he waved at Appa.

Appa sighed and rested his head on the cage floor, seeing his human friends Aang and Xiaodan in his mind.

* * *

The young boy sat and watched boredly as two women held three spinning plates in each hand while five men formed a pyramid behind them inside the circus ring. The two women walked off to the side and revealed the two platypus bears balancing easily on a ball, causing the crowd to applaud. The boy sighed and glanced at his father then he tentatively reached out to take some sizzle crisps, but his father held it out of his reach and glared at him. The boy sighed again and let his hands fall into his lap, watching morosely as the circus master stepped into the center of the ring after the other performers had exited.

"Ladies and gentlemen, now for something truly special." The circus master exclaimed grandly and he created two flames in his hands, "A noble beast, so magnificent and rare, it hasn't been seen by human eyes in generations. I give you…the wind buffalo!"

The circus master gestured grandly towards a curtain which was dropped a moment later, revealing Appa dressed in a ridiculous costume and even more ridiculous makeup. The audience laughed loudly at the sight, but the little boy stared at the sky bison with concerned eyes.

Appa silently walked into the center ring where the trainer was waiting.

"Up." The trainer ordered, but Appa merely shook his head and turned in a circle, causing the audience to laugh again.

The trainer glanced at the laughing crowd then he turned back to Appa with a scowl, creating another fire whip and lashing out at the sky bison with it.

"Up, you insolent cow!"

Appa flinched away from the fire whip oared angrily at the trainer, his teeth bared.

The little boy's eyes went wide and he jumped from his seat, "Run away! Get away from him!"

The boy's father snarled slightly and grabbed him by the shoulder, yanking him roughly back into his seat. Appa glanced over at the boy then flew up into the air and the crowd gasped in shocked awe then they began to clap exuberantly.

"Fabulous!" One of the spectators shouted gleefully from the crowd.

Appa easily flew through one flaming ring and stopped to stand on one leg on a raised platform. The young boy watched with concern as the sky bison flew through the second ring, his costume catching fire. Startled, Appa roared as he flew toward the third ring, spinning around and knocking it off the rope with his tail. The trainer ran backwards to catch the ring, but missed and it hit him on the head, knocking him to the ground.

Appa landed back in the middle of the ring and looked at the crowd, his gaze focusing on the laughing young boy that had given him the bale of hay earlier. As he stared, the young boy was replaced by a laughing Aang with Xiaodan smiling beside him. Appa quickly shook his head, causing his costume hair to fall off and the image of Aang and Xiaodan to disappear.

"Go, you can do it." The young boy urged with a grin.

Appa stared at the boy for another moment then he took off towards the top of the tent, but a blast of fire stopped him short.

"Get back here, you stupid beast!" The trainer roared and he created a fire whip.

Appa roared as he swung back around and flew at the trainer, pulling himself up and smacking the trainer into the air with his tail. Appa grumbled again as he flew towards the top of the tent again, bursting out of the cloth and leaving his costume behind. The boy watched the sky bison fly away and he smiled happily.

* * *

Appa flew across the desert, his shadow passing over a massive crater in the ground. The sky bison rumbled lowly as his mind flashed to the tall tower being there and he descended, landing in the middle of the crater. He looked around curiously then began digging at the ground with his chained feet, but after a few moments he gave and laid down to rest a bit.

The sun was beginning to set when Appa continued to fly across the desert. His stomach rumbled loudly and the sky bison looked at the ground, landing a moment later when he spotted an egg. He went to lick it up, but a gilacorn scooped it up and ran off with it. Appa watched lizard-creature for a moment then turned his head, catching sight of something else that he might be able to eat. The sky bison jumped up and flew the short distance to the cactus, landing in front of it with a loud thump that startled away a jackalope. Without thinking, Appa chomped down on the cactus, rearing back with a roar of pain as the sharp prickles pierced his tongue and he spat the cactus out.

Rumbling again, Appa leapt back into the air and continued to fly across the desert through the night and well into the next more. His head hung low, a sudden scent reached his nose and Appa perked up slightly and changed direction, heading towards a large rock that was in the middle of the desert.

Appa dove into one of the carved tunnels at the top of the rock and eagerly began eating the honey inside, only to be chased out of the hive a few moments later by a swarm of buzzard-wasps. Appa flew as fast as he could, but the buzzard-wasps continued to follow him, so he flew up then swung around, knocking them all back by using Airbending when he swung his tail at them. The buzzard-wasps hit the sandy, desert ground with soft thumps then they all slowly rolled to their feet and flew off in different directions, leaving Appa alone.

Appa growled lowly as he farther away from where he had knocked the buzzard-wasps down, landing when he felt he was safe. He panted harshly and took a moment to catch his breath before beginning to lick the honey off his legs then he rolled over onto his side to rest.

* * *

Appa flew across the setting sun, finally out of the desert, as night fell completely he spotted a large barn in the distance. Groaning quietly, the sky bison landed in front of the barn and hurried inside, eagerly drinking from the water trough that was near the door before eating a smile pile of hay that was nearby. Once he'd finished eating the hay, Appa collapsed on the ground and closed his eyes, snoring softly as he fell asleep.

'_A baby Appa cooed quietly as he flew through the air with his four siblings and they playfully circled around their mother before gather close to her. Below the family of sky bison, Sister __Iio stood with several young Airbending monks, a bowl of apples in her hands._

"_Choose well." Sister Iio said softly as the young boys each took an apple from the bowl, "A sky bison is a companion for life."_

_Appa's mother rumbled lowly and nuzzled her calves then growled and nudged them forward, towards the young monks and Sister Iio, landing on the ground with them. The younger Appa shambled towards a young Aang, who held out the apple. Appa sniffed the apple for a moment then took it from the young boy. Aang smiled and walked closer, hugging Appa, who gently knocked Aang down to the ground and began licking his face happily._

"_I guess this means we'll always be together." Aang said and he laughed happily when Appa continued to lick his face._

* * *

Aang smiled and laughed lightly as he dreamed about Appa, his arms held out just like they were when he first met Appa. He sighed as he let his arms drop and he rolled over in his sleep.

"Always…"

* * *

"Ahhh!" A man screamed and Appa jerked awake, staring wide-eyed at the man wielding a pitchfork, "It's some kind of monster!"

Appa got to his feet quickly with a low growl and the man backed up, with his pitchfork still raised. A woman entered the barn and held up the torch she had been carrying. Appa whined in fear when he saw the fire and he backed up hurriedly, standing on his hind legs in an effort to get away from the flames. His back struck the back of the barn, breaking and pushing out several off the wooden slats as he struggled and roared. The farmer dropped his pitchfork and he and his wife ran out of the barn, screaming in terror just as Appa dropped down to all six legs. Appa leapt into the air and breaking a hole in the roof of the barn as he escaped, the farmer and his wife watching the sky bison fly away in numb shock.

The weary sky bison flew away from the farm, flying across a large body of water and over a narrow, twisting strip of rocky land that cut the body of water in half. A ship was sailing across the water and Appa flew over it slowly, his head hung tiredly.

* * *

Iroh looked overboard as the ferry he, his nephew, and young Airbending friend sailed towards Ba Sing Se. His eyes widened and he gasped quietly when he saw the Avatar's sky bison fly overhead and he turned around, watching as the large animal disappeared into the clouds.

"Uncle?" Zuko asked tiredly as he sat up from where he was lying down on the deck floor next to Xiaodan, "What are you looking at? Is there something out there?"

"Wazzapening?" Xiaodan slurred sleepily as she sat up slightly and peered around Zuko to look at Iroh through bleary eyes, "Is someone attacking again?"

"Uh, it's nothing." Iroh said hurriedly as he glanced back up at the sky nervously then he gestured for the two teens to lie back down, "Both of you, go back to sleep."

The former Fire Nation general sighed in relief when his nephew lied back down and went back to sleep. Xiaodan stared at him for moment and Iroh gave her a reassuring smile. The white-haired Airbender smiled sleepily back then laid down, curling up into a loose ball on the deck beside Zuko.

* * *

Appa flew over a forest and crash landed in front of a tree that had grown on top of a passage. The sky bison ate some of the grass that was on the ground, standing up a moment later when he heard a loud squealing come from the passage. A moment later a boar-q-pine bolted out of the shadowed passage and charged towards Appa. The sky bison roared at the boar-q-pine, which tackled him and sent them both tumbling down the small cliff the passage was on.

The two battling animals stopped rolling when they reached the clearing at the bottom of the cliff and they separated, several of the boar-q-pine's quills sticking out of Appa's fur. The boar-q-pine squealed at Appa and the sky bison roared back furiously, the two circling each other warily, then the boar-q-pine charged at Appa with a furious squeal, knocking Appa into a tree and causing it to fall down. Appa snarled and grabbed the tree with his mouth, throwing it at the boar-q-pine and knocking him back, but a few moments later the quilled animal jumped over the trunk and charged at Appa again.

Appa reared back onto his hind legs and grabbed the boar-q-pine with his middle and front legs, throwing it to the side. The boar-q-pine slid across the ground, kicking up dust and sending several birds scattering from their roosts in the trees. The boar-q-pine came to a stop and it quickly rolled to its feet, turning tail and running away with an obnoxious squeal.

Appa panted loudly and turned his head, grabbing on of the quills sticking out of his leg with his teeth, roaring in pain before he could remove it. The sky bison decided to leave the quills alone as he jumped into the air and flew back to the passage. He shuffled inside the passage and flopped down exhaustedly, a low rumbling of pain and sadness leaving him as his eyes closed. Appa remained in the passage for several days, refusing to leave.

* * *

Several of the Kyoshi Warriors walked through the forest, picking berries from and tucking them into their pockets. One of the Kyoshi Warriors kneeled beside a berry bush, her brow furrowing as she stared at the clumps of white fur caught in the bush curiously.

"Must have been some fight." She commented idly as her leader, Suki walked over to her.

"Wait, let me see that." Suki said and she took the clump of fur from her fellow warrior, looking at it curiously, "No, it couldn't be."

She looked up from the fur and stared at the trail of fur and broken trees leading up to a cliff nearby. Suki followed the trail up the cliff and gasped quietly when she reached the top, her brown eyes widening in dismay and shock.

"Appa? Oh no." She whispered and Appa backed away further into the passage, growling lowly as she approached him.

Suki stopped and kneeled down, putting several of the berries and an apple she had in her pocket on the ground.

"It's gonna be okay, Appa." Suki said soothingly as she stood back up and backed away slowly, "I have to leave, but I'm gonna be back soon with help."

Appa watched her walk down the cliff warily then he slowly shuffled out of the passage towards the fruit. He stared at it for a moment before lowering his head to eat then he shuffled back into the passage.

* * *

"No sudden movements." Suki instructed as she stood in front of five other Kyoshi Warriors on a small overhanging just below the cliff Appa was on, "He's been lost for a while and he looks like he's hurt. He's shy around people and scared. Stay low and stay quiet."

"I can't believe you found the Avatar's bison." One of the girls commented in awe, "Didn't you just see the Avatar a few days ago?"

"Yes, so he can't be too far from here." Suki replied then she turned and began walking up the hill, "It's our responsibility to get Appa back to him safely. This could be our most important mission yet."

The six Kyoshi Warriors reached the top of the cliff and paused when Appa stood and began growling at them, tossing his head in irritation.

"Give him some space!" Suki ordered quickly and the five warriors took a step back while she took a step forward, "Appa, it's me, Suki. I'm a friend."

Appa growled at her again, but Suki continued to slowly approach him with her hands held out in an unthreatening manner.

"I want to help you. You're hurt. We can help you feel better." The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors said softly and Appa growled at her, but she persisted, "And we can help you find Aang."

Appa growled softly and Suki put her hands gently on his nose. The sky bison stopped growling and rumbled lowly, laying down with Suki kneeling in front of him. Suki smiled softly and gestured for the other Kyoshi warriors to approach slowly.

* * *

A few hours later, Appa was sitting happily in front of the six girls, his fur cleaned and his shackles removed. The sky bison rumbled happily and licked one of the girl's faces, causing her to laugh and rub at her cheek. Appa's ear suddenly perked up when he heard rapidly approaching and thunderous footsteps. Appa stood and turned to face the sound, Suki and the other warriors whirling around a moment later.

Lightning suddenly struck a nearby tree, causing it to fall down and block the path in front of Appa and the six girls.

"My, my, you're easy to find." Azula commented with a smirk as she held up a clump of Appa's fur, "It's really astounding my brother hasn't captured you yet."

Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors quickly moved into a protective formation in front of Appa, who was growling lowly at the three Fire Nation girls.

"What do you want with us?" Suki demanded sharply as pulled out one of her fans and her shield.

"Who are you?" Azula asked drily, "The Avatar's _fan girls_?"

Ty Lee furrowed her brow in confusion then she giggled, "Oh, I get it. Good one, Azula."

"If you're looking for the Avatar, you're out of luck." Suki snapped defiantly.

Mai sighed in annoyance, "I knew this was a waste of time…"

"No Avatar, huh. Well, that's okay. Any friend of the Avatar," Azula mused then she jumped off her mongoose-lizard and shot a blue fire blast at the girls, "Is an enemy of mine!"

The Kyoshi Warriors protected themselves and the sky bison by moving their shield-fans together before the blue fire reached them. Ty Lee and Mai jumped off their own mongoose-lizards and the two groups of girls quickly began to battle.

Two Kyoshi Warriors faced off against Mai, but the expressionless girl quickly threw three shuriken at one of them, pinning the Kyoshi Warrior against a tree.

"Huh?" The Kyoshi warrior gasped in surprise as she looked at the blades pinning her clothes to the tree.

"You're so colorful, it's making me nauseous!" Mai drawled disgustedly as she threw a handful of darts at the second Kyoshi Warrior.

The Kyoshi Warrior rapidly unsheathed her katana and deflected the darts with a swipe of her blade, then she ran at Ty Lee, who had flipped in front of her. Ty Lee danced away from the painted girl and slipped behind her, quickly jabbing her in the back and blocking the warrior girl's chi.

"You're not prettier that we are." Ty Lee sniffed disdainfully as she stood over her fallen opponent.

While the other Kyoshi Warriors fought against Mai and Ty Lee, Suki defended Appa against Azula's Firebending blasts with her fan shield. Azula swung around and kicked one foot in the air, sending a powerful blast of blue fire at the leader of the Kyoshi Warrior, but Suki managed to deflect it to the side with her shield-fan where it set the fallen tree behind her and Appa on fire. Appa looked back at the flames and growled in fright, his eyes widening in fear.

"Afraid of fire, I see." Azula commented smugly as she looked at the frightened sky bison, "That's good. You should be."

Suki unsheathed her katana and stood protectively in front of Appa, "Go, Appa! Fly away from here!"

Suki charged at Azula with her sword as Appa took to the air behind her. As the sword came at her, Azula jumped up and twisted above the sharp weapon, striking Suki's wrist and sending the sword into a nearby tree. Suki gasped and jerked backwards, holding her shield-fan up protectively when Azula sent a fire blast at her after she had landed. Suki lashed out with her leg in an attempt to kick the Fire Nation princess, but Azula easily deflected then knocked the older girl to the ground.

Appa paused in his flight and looked back before soaring back down. Azula smirked as she stood over Suki's sprawled out form and pulled her fist back, preparing to launch another fire blast at the older girl, but before she could another Kyoshi Warrior threw her fans at her. Azula snarled and ducked, spinning around and kicking a Firebending blast at the Kyoshi Warrior then she chased after the other girl when she ran off.

Suki shook her head and pushed herself to her hands and knees, gasping quietly when she saw Appa flying towards her. The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors lunged to her feet and grabbed a burning branch, swinging it at Appa as he flew closer.

"Get out of here!" Suki shouted urgently as she waved the burning branch at Appa, "You have to find Aang! We'll be okay!"

Appa backed away quickly and looked at Suki for another moment before turning and flying away. Suki watched the sky bison disappearing into the sky, yelping quietly and bringing up her shield-fan just in time to block another blue fire blast. Suki stumbled back and quickly regained her foot, unsheathing her fan and shifting into a fighting stance as she faced Azula again.

"Don't you know fans just make flames stronger?" Azula asked mockingly then the two charged at each other.

* * *

Appa flew over the tree tops then over a large river, a flock of birds joining him briefly. He continued flying, rarely stopping to rest even when it was raining. He knew where he was going and he was determined to get there.

Finally, after many days, Appa reached was flying through the mountains where the Eastern Air Temple had been built. The weary sky bison landed and walked inside, looking around at the stable where he remembered playing with his siblings and the other sky bison calves. He walked further into the stable, pausing when he caught sight of the circle of railing he and his siblings used to chew on. Appa shuffled closer to the circle of railings and bit down on it, pulling away and coughing when dust coated his tongue.

Appa snorted and continued through the stable, crossing over a bridge towards another section of the massive temple. He wondered through the buildings slowly until he stepped out onto a balcony, where he saw a man meditating. Appa's eyes widening and his ears perked up in joy and he raced towards the meditating man, knocking him down and licking his face eagerly.

After a moment, Appa stopped licking the man and stared down at him. The man blinked up in surprise then he smiled.

"Hello. I am Guru Pathik."

Appa balked and leapt backwards, flying to the back of the balcony where he then started to growl at the guru as soon as he landed.

"I know I'm not the person you expected." Pathik commented calmly as he sat up on his elbows and looked at the growling sky bison, "And I didn't expect to be licked by a giant tongue just now. The world is full of surprises."

Appa growled louder at the guru, who stared at him for a moment then lied back down and closed his eyes. Appa stopped growling and watched the man warily, his whole body tense. After a while, Appa laid down, but he continued to watch the guru intently.

Soon the sun was beginning to rise when Pathik opened his eyes and lifted his head, causing Appa to start growling at him again. He stopped growling when Pathik closed his eyes and laid his head back down again. Midday approached and Pathik tilted his head up slightly, opening one eye as he did so. When Appa proceeded to growl at him again, the guru closed his eye and laid his head back down. It was nighttime when Appa finally fell asleep, laying on his side and snoring loudly.

Pathik waited a moment then opened his eyes and lifted his head to stare at the sky bison. Seeing that Appa was asleep, the guru somersaulted backwards and to his feet, his arms held out to the side for balance as his eyes closed again. He took a deep breath then exhaled it slowly and dusted his hands off before walking over to the sky bison while rubbing his hands together. Pathik opened his eyes and placed his hand on Appa's upper stomach, his expression becoming sad.

"Oh dear. You've been through so much recently. Hurt and betrayed. So twisted up inside." Pathik murmured and he moved his hand slowly downward then he smiled, "You're still full of love. Ah, but fear has moved in where trust should be."

"I've been expecting you and the young Avatar for quite some time. I had a vision many years ago of helping him. That's why I came to the Eastern Air Temple." Guru Pathik explained lightly as he walked over to stand in front of Appa's head with his hands clasped behind his back, "Oh, your emotions are so turbulent. Like swirling storm clouds."

Pathik gently placed his hand on Appa's head, "Let the clouds in your mind be gently, peaceful ones."

Appa purred quietly and shifted in his sleep, his legs coming to rest more comfortably on the ground.

* * *

Appa awoke the next morning with a jolt and he quickly rolled to his feet, looking around hostilely for the old man. He noticed some fruit in front of him and he quickly gobbled it down, following the trail of fruit all through the temple, until he reached a raised platform. Pathik sat cross-legged on the platform, feeding a couple birds some seeds while another bird perched on his head and two squirrels sat near him.

"Someone looks very well rested," Pathik commented in amusement as he looked at the sky bison, the fur on one side of his head sticking straight up, "Judging by your bedhead."

Appa growled and shook his head, the fur falling flat once again, then he watched the guru warily.

The moon was high in the sky again when Appa finally left his post in front of the platform and he walked up to pace behind Pathik, who was meditating quietly with his eyes closed. Appa paced behind the guru twice before walking closer to Pathik and lying down right behind him. Pathik opened his eyes and smiled, reaching behind him to rub the sky bison's belly briefly.

"I have prepared a message for Aang." Pathik stated as he got to his feet and showed Appa a scroll, "May I attach it to your horn?"

Appa rumbled in agreement and the guru tied the scroll to Appa's right horn then he moved to stand in front of the sky bison.

"You and the Avatar's energies are mixed, like his energy is mixed with the young Xiaodan." Pathik explained gently, "You have an unbreakable bond. By reading your energy, I can sense where Aang is."

Appa rumbled and licked the guru, causing him to laugh lightly.

"Funny, what invisible strings connect us all." Pathik mused thoughtfully then he put his hand on Appa's head and closed his eyes, a path of white energy illuminating a pathway that would lead Appa straight to Aang, "I'll see you again, great beast."

* * *

The sky was still dark with nightfall as Appa flew over the walls of Ba Sing Se, towards Aang. He didn't notice the two Dai Li Agents perched on a rooftop as he flew past and he didn't see them slid off the roof and disappear a moment later. Suddenly, his eyes widened as a high pitched whistle reached his ears and he quickly headed towards the noise, passing three pygmy pumas sitting on a rooftop as he descended.

Appa landed and looked around for Aang, but he didn't see anything. A man stepped out of the shadows in front of him and Appa growled, taking a step back and leaving a single foot print. The man lunged forward abruptly and Earthbended the slab of rock Appa was standing on, causing it to swirl around and capture Appa underground.

* * *

In another part of the city, Xiaodan's brow furrowed and she shifted onto her side in her sleep, her hand clenching into a fist by her face.

* * *

In the Upper Ring, Aang sighed and rolled over, his hand falling unconsciously onto the bison whistle that was he had placed on his sleeping mat, Momo curled into a ball above it.

* * *

**Author's Note: This is most likely one of the shortest chapters of the whole story, the other being the prologue-thingy. I have to admit, this chapter was actually really hard to write, but I think I did an okay job. Well, I really, really hope I did an okay job. Anyhooties, I hope y'all liked this chapter, even though there wasn't really any Xia action in it. I promise there will be plenty of Xia/Zukia in the next chapter. Next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 17: Lake Laogai, so stay tuned for that!**

**PS – I'd just like to thank BlueEyedDreamer97 for making an awesome picture/banner for Xiaodan. If you want to check it out, it's up on my profile! Thanks again!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are freaking awesome-sauce!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**LiveOutLoud143: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Tales of Ba Sing Se was always one of my favorite episodes, even though the one with Iroh always made me sad. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Nah, I try not to give up on any of my stories, I'll go on a hiatus sometimes, but that's usually to get my bearings or if I'm super busy with other things. Anyhooties, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I was really surprised by Zuko's and Xia's first kiss too, I didn't really plan for it to happen, but the chapter just kinda wrote itself and when I reread it, I was kinda like 'what the hell?' but I ran with it. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Jasmyn: **Haha, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I don't think I'd ever hate my readers, you guys are the reason I even feel confident enough to put my stories up on this site. I'll try really hard not to leave this story for two months again and if something like that does happen, I'll be sure to put up an author's note to let y'all know what's going one. Usually if I lack inspiration for a certain story, I'll go back and read and keep reading all the previous chapters until my muse starts beating me over the head with ideas on where I want to take the story. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**MidnightWolf191: **It's alright, I totally understand screwy phones. Mine doesn't even let me review and don't even get me started on autocorrect, that crap is evil incarnate, I swear to God. Now to answer your question about a pairing name, I do in fact, have two names that two other reviewers came up with. The most common one is Zukia and the second, more humorous one, is Xiabug. Anyhooties, I'm glad you stuck with this story despite the huge-ass wait I put all of you readers through and I really hope you like this chapter!

**Inigo Montoya: **Haha, I know! It's crazy, I wasn't really planning on them kissing so soon, but it just kinda happened, so I figured the Supreme Being of Writing was trying to tell me something. XD Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Yeah, sorry about that, life and lack of motivation have been kicking my ass lately, but I'm back and I'm ready to bust out a helluva lot of chapters! Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Cate of Flames: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and you thought it was worth the wait! Heehee, I'll be honest, Xia's and Zuko's kiss was a complete accident, but it was definitely a happy accident and I'm glad so many people liked it. Anyhooties, my version of Appa's Lost Days meets you expectations!

**Pickle the chicken: **Aw, I'm sorry I worried you! I promise I didn't mean to and if I can't update for a while, I'll be sure to post an Author's Note to let everyone know what's going on. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**AsheeCakes07: **Thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far! I hope you like this chapter too!

**AmbrosiaMaestro: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, I wouldn't say has stopped denying her feelings for Zuko, but she's definitely becoming more aware of what they are now that she's kissed him. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**xRoosiee: **Haha,I'm glad you liked the ending scene of the last chapter. XD I hope you like this chapter too!

**Irena Black: **Thanks I hope you like this chapter too!

**Cookie Mafia Boss: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, honestly, I squealed a little too when I wrote their kiss, since it was kind of a surprise to me. XD Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Becky: **Haha, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Ah yes, I figured the last chapter was the best place for the summary to come into play, though it's slightly different in a good way. Whoo! I'm glad you think I stuck to Jin's character, to be honest, I was a little unsure about having her say what she did, but now I'm glad I stuck with it. I liked Jin's character too, I have a feeling that if she appeared in more than one episode, she would be one of those characters, you can't help but like and I think she would have been a better match with Zuko than Mai.  
Haha, I wasn't expecting Xia to kiss Zuko either, it just kinda happened and I went with it and I'm glad I did too, since everyone seemed to like it. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Break This Spell666: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, I love when a story reaches the summary quote too, it always makes me kinda giggle. Anyhooties, thanks a bunch for pointing out that typo, I meant to go back and fix it before I uploaded the chapter, but I forgot. It's all fixed now though, so it shouldn't look so weird. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Luna WhiteWolf: **Haha, I'm glad you liked the Zukia fluffiness in the last chapter and I'm glad you think my story is interesting too! Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Maria: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked this chapter! There will be a few hints to Xia being Firebending in the upcoming chapters and then she's really gonna light it up in the last chapter of Season 2, so stay tuned for that! Ah, I do see your point about spending too much time retelling parts of the show and not enough time on Xia and Zuko's interactions, I'll definitely work on that from now on. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Twirlgirl4life1: **Haha, I'm glad you think Xia and Zuko are adorable together and I'm glad you like my writing too! Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Dear Writer: **Thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far! Sorry about the link not working, if you want to check out the picture, it's up on my profile.


	38. Chapter 38: Lake Laogai

**AN: Chapter 38 takes place during Season 2 Episode 17: Lake Laogai. Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

**PS – First part takes place right after the ending in the last chapter, it's just some cute little Xiabug/Zukia fluffiness for you guys. Anyhooties, enjoy!**

* * *

Xiaodan darted into the teashop and dove behind the counter, waving sheepishly at Iroh's stunned and surprised look.

"Xia, what are you going here?" The former Fire Nation general asked in confusion as he looked at the white-haired girl's blushing face, "Today is yours and my nephew's day off, remember."

Xiaodan coughed and rubbed the back of her head, a nervous giggle escaping her as she avoided meeting Iroh's eyes.

"Well, um, you see, I was just so bored and didn't know what to do, so I figured I'd help you out." She explained quickly as she jumped to her feet and grabbed her apron, tying it around her waist.

Iroh eyed her curiously, taking in her blushing face and the way she kept glancing at the front door every few seconds.

"Did something happen between you and my nephew, Xiaodan?" He asked interestedly and a smile began to spread across her face when her fading blush returned much darker than before.

"No!" Xiaodan replied hurriedly, waving her hands in front of her as she shook her head, "No, no, of course not. I mean, nothing out of the usual happened between us. You know, him being grouchy and me making fun of him…"

She stopped rambling and coughed awkwardly into her fist, staring off to the side to avoid looking at the knowing smile that Iroh was currently giving her.

"Well, uh, yeah, I'm just gonna-" Xiaodan started to say only to stop a moment later when the front door of the teashop was thrown open and Zuko appeared in the doorway, "Oh monkey-feathers!"

"You!" He shouted as he stomped towards her, ignoring the strange looks the customers and Iroh were giving the two teens, "I need to talk to you."

Xiaodan quickly backed away from with her hands held up pacifyingly in front of her, "Um, yeah, well, I suddenly remembered there was something I had to do. Bye, I-Mushi!"

Xiaodan quickly corrected herself and she waved to a very bemused Iroh and darted into the backroom of the teashop, slipping out the backdoor and into the alley while ignoring Zuko's shouts for her to stop. She was just about to duck into the street when warm fingers wrapped around her wrist tightly and she squeaked in surprise as she was spun around, her wide molten orange eyes meet Zuko's narrowed golden ones.

"Er…Hi?" She stuttered, giving him a sheepish smile and she tried to tug her wrist out of his grasp, "Can I have my arm back?"

"Why did you kiss me?"

Xiaodan cleared her throat and waved her free hand in a flustered attempt at nonchalance, her cheeks darkening as she blushed at his blunt question.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Firebug." Xiaodan replied with a poor attempt at casualness.

"Don't avoid the question, Xiaodan!" Zuko snapped as he scowled down at her in annoyance.

The two stood in silence for several moments, neither one willing to back down on the matter. The banished prince stared at her with narrowed eyes as she ducked her head and mumbled something unintelligible under her breath. He narrowed his eyes further when she glanced up at him from under her messy bangs and the way her cheeks had darkened with her blush.

"What was that?"

"I don't know, okay!" Xiaodan snapped loudly as she lifted her head up to glare at him, "I don't know why I kissed you, it just kinda happened. I guess it could it was because I like you or maybe I have Midnight Sun Madness, though I'm not sure you can get that anywhere but in the South Po-"

Warm lips cut her off mid-ramble and Xiaodan stared into Zuko gold eyes in surprise, the kiss an almost comical role reversal from earlier. The two pulled away and stared at each other unsurely, neither sure what to do now. Xiaodan ducked her head slightly and looked up at him from under her lashes, feeling uncharacteristically shy after what had just happened. Zuko cleared his throat and looked off to the side, trying to will away the blush burning his cheeks.

"So…" Zuko trailed off self-consciously and he rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, his other one still holding onto Xiaodan's wrist.

Xiaodan smiled slowly, reassured that she wasn't the only feeling a little insecure and unsure about what was happening between them. The white-haired Airbender bit her lip and reached out, gently touching his scarred cheek, causing him to flinch slightly and look at her wide eyes. Xiaodan smiled sweetly at him, her orange eyes glittering with their usual mirth and mischief as she looked up at him, her hand still resting lightly on his cheek.

"Wanna go get something to eat?"

"Uh, sure."

Xiaodan smiled again and let her hand fall from his face then she slid her other wrist from his loosened grasp, lacing their fingers together. Zuko stared at the back of her head with an unreadable expression on his face as she led him out of the alley and into the street, his thoughts whirling around what had just happened and what it meant for the two of them.

* * *

Iroh smiled softly as he watched his nephew and young Airbender friend as they awkwardly avoided each other's gaze as they moved around the teashop, serving the customers. He found it infinitely amusing to observe the two as they tried to act indifferent around each other, while stealing glances at each other. The former general wasn't quite sure what exactly happened between the two teens on their day off a few days ago that caused them to act so strangely around each other, though he did have a few suspicions. He was happy for them both either way.

Xiaodan gasped quietly when she bumped into Zuko, who had turned around after placing the clean teacups on to the shelf. His hands came up and covered hers as he steadied the tray she'd been holding, his gold eyes catching hers.

"Sorry." Xiaodan mumbled awkwardly as she ducked her head and looked up at him from under her messy bangs, "Um…I should go put these in the back…"

"Right…" Zuko replied slowly and he let her hands go, stepping to the side so the white-haired Airbender could slip past him and he watched her as she disappeared into the back room where the tea was prepared and the dishes were cleaned.

Iroh chuckled lowly and Zuko turned his head to glare at his uncle, his brows furrowing as he grabbed another tray with a fresh pot of tea and stomped into the front of the teashop to serve the tea.

"What's his problem?" Xiaodan asked Iroh curiously as she reappeared, smiling briefly at a customer as he placed a couple of coins on the counter, "Thank you, sir. Please come again soon."

Iroh smiled slyly at the young white-haired girl as she grabbed a rag and began cleaning the counter, "Oh, I don't know. I think he might be having girl troubles."

Xiaodan made a choked noise of surprise and she cleared her throat, causing Iroh to chuckle. The former Fire Nation general patted her shoulder as he passed her and disappeared, leaving her to gape at his back before she shook her head and went back to cleaning.

* * *

In a completely different part of the city, Sokka hummed idly as he laid on the raised platform in the house he shared with Aang, Katara, Toph, and Momo in the Upper Ring, drawing pictures of Appa for the missing posters. Toph was sitting nearby with her hands behind her head and one leg resting on her bent knee, Momo licking her foot.

Aang and Katara suddenly burst in to the house and ran over to their two friends with ecstatic expressions on their faces.

"We found a printer to make our posters!" Katara exclaimed cheerfully and she held out the professionally done missing poster with a detailed picture of Appa on it while Aang pointed eagerly at the poster.

"Hey! I thought designing the lost Appa poster was my job." Sokka whined with a small pout, "I've been working all day on my Appa!"

He held up his crudely drawn picture of Appa and Katara covered her mouth to stifle her laughter while Aang ran his hands down his face.

"Sokka, the arrow is on Appa's head." The young Avatar pointed out exasperatedly as he looked at the picture.

"This is his head." Sokka deadpanned flatly.

Katara grabbed the picture and gave it a confused look, "Why are feet coming out of it?"

"Those are his horns!" Sokka snapped as he snatched his picture back then he stared at for a moment and sighed, "I haven't seen him in a while, okay?"

"It looks just like him to me!" Toph called out mockingly as she bobbed her foot slowly and Sokka beamed at her.

"Thank you, I worked really-" Sokka started only to stop when he remembered that Toph was blind, "Why do you feel the need to do that? As if being teased by Xia wasn't enough, I have to deal with you too…"

Toph just smirked while Katara giggled quietly.

"Let's just stick with the professional version." Katara suggested mildly while trying not to smile when Sokka angrily ripped up his drawing.

"C'mon!" Aang said excitedly as he pulled out a bunch of pamphlets and held them up, "Let's get busy! The soon we get spread these around the sooner we can find Appa, and if Xia's in the city, she'll know where we are if she finds one of the fliers!"

Momo climbed onto Aang's shoulder and the young bald boy left a bunch of the fliers in the house then he ran outside. He hands Momo a few fliers then the lemur leapt into the air, Aang snapping his glider open a moment later. The two worked together to drop dozens of the posters all over Ba Sing See.

* * *

Iroh smiled faintly as he poured three nicely dressed gentlemen a cup of tea each then he wandered over to serve another customer while the three men drank their tea. The three men smiled at each other then stood.

"So, you're the genius behind this incredible brew." The nicer dressed man exclaimed as he and two other men approached Iroh, "The whole city is buzzing about you! I hope Pao pays you well."

Iroh smiled serenely at the man, "Good tea is its own reward."

"But it doesn't have to be the _only_ reward." The man replied with a grin, "How would you like your own teashop."

"My own teashop?" Iroh asked in shock, unwittingly catching Pao's attention as he stopped conversing with another customer, "This is a dream come true!"

Pao rushed forward to stand between the three men and Iroh, "What's going on here? Are you trying to poach my tea-maker?"

Xiaodan paused in serving a customer some tea to glance over at Iroh and the men with a curious expression, her head tilted slightly to the side. She flashed a smile at the customer she was serving then moved over to stand slightly beside Iroh.

"Sorry, Pao, but that's business for you." The man replied lightly with a smug smirk, "Am I right?"

"Mushi, if you stay, I'll make you assistant manager." Pao said then hurriedly came up with a better offer, "Wait, senior assistant manager!"

Xiaodan looked at Pao then back at the finely dressed men before her curious gaze rested on Iroh, who was looking a little starstruck. Shrugging to herself, the white-haired girl wandered over to help Zuko as he cleared a table of the cups and teapot on it, taking a rag out of her apron so she could wipe the table down. The scarred teen glanced over at the female Airbender before going back to what he was doing.

"I'll provide you with a new apartment in the Upper Ring." The man offered easily, causing Zuko and Xiaodan to glance at him over their shoulders, both now more interested in the conversation, "The teashop is yours to do whatever you want, complete creative freedom."

"I even get to name the shop?" Iroh asked eagerly, little stars practically appearing in his eyes.

"Of course!"

"Uh, senior executive assistant manager?" Pao tried one last time, only to hang his head in defeat when Iroh handed him the teapot he'd been holding.

Iroh bowed to the man, agreeing to his terms. Zuko shuffled past them with Xiaodan moving to stand beside Iroh while Pao walked sadly towards the back of the shop.

"Did you hear, nephew? Xia?" Iroh asked Zuko eagerly as the banished teen paused, "This man wants to give us our own teashop in the Upper Ring of the city!"

"That's right young man, young lady," The nobleman said as he looked from Xiaodan to Zuko, "Your lives are about to change for the better."

"I'll try to contain my joy." Zuko deadpanned sarcastically as he placed the tray of cups on a table and stormed out of the shop, slamming the door behind him.

Xiaodan sighed in exasperation then smiled and bowed politely to the nobleman, "Thank you, sir, it is very kind of you."

* * *

Zuko scowled as he stomped outside and leaned against the wall of the teashop by the door, his arms folded over his chest. His eyes narrowed when a paper fluttering on the breeze and he reached out, catching it easily. Zuko stared at it for several moments then his eyes widened and he looked up at the sky, stepping in the middle of the street to see if he could catch sight of whoever had dropped the flyer. Not seeing anything, he climbed to the top of a nearby building, his eyes narrowing when he saw several of the fliers falling to the ground. He looked around for any sign of the Avatar then he looked back down at the flyer, a determined expression appearing on his face.

"Zuko?"

The banished prince's eyes widened slightly and he tucked the flyer into his shirt just as Xiaodan jumped onto the rooftop beside him.

"What are you doing up here, Firebug?" She asked curiously as she walked over to him, her head tilted slightly to the side.

"Nothing."

Xiaodan stared at him for a moment in confusion then shrugged and walked around him, giving him a teasing smile as she stood in front of him.

"Well, hurry up Firebug, your uncle and I are going to need help packing up the apartment." She said then lithely hopped off the roof.

Zuko stared after her then he pulled the flyer from his shirt and glared down at it, determination burning in his gold eyes.

* * *

Sokka and Katara were playing a game of _Four Nations_ while Toph was lying on the floor and tossing a ball at the wall when Aang finally burst into the house after dropping all of his fliers across the city with Momo.

"I just finished dropping all of the leaflets." Aang said excitedly as he rushed over to the table where the Water Tribe siblings were playing while Momo flew to sit beside Katara, "Has anyone come in with news about Appa?"

"It's only been a day." Katara commented as she concentrated on the tiles in her hands, "Just be patient."

Aang huffed and sat down, folding his arms on the table and resting his chin on them. A knock suddenly sounded and he jumped up excitedly.

"Wow, you're right! Patience really pays off!" He shouted as he ran to the door and opened, his happy expression becoming confused when he saw who was at the door, "Joo Dee?"

"Hello Aang, and Katara, and Sokka, and Toph." The woman greeted slowly as she stepped inside the house while Katara, Sokka, and Toph walked towards the door.

"What happened to you?" Sokka asked curiously as he came to a stop a foot or so away from the strange woman with Katara and Toph on either side of him, "Did the Dai Li throw you in jail?"

"What? Jail?" Joo Dee asked in confusion then she smiled at the four teens, "Of course not. The Dai Li are the protectors of our cultural heritage."

"But you disappeared at the Earth King's party." Toph pointed out confusedly.

"Oh, I simply took a short vacation to Lake Laogai, out in the country." Joo Dee replied lightly with a dismissive wave of her hand, "It was quite relaxing."

"But then they replaced you with some other woman who also said her name was Joo Dee." Katara stated, now feeling even more confused as Sokka looked at the woman suspiciously.

Joo Dee looked at Katara in surprise, "I'm Joo Dee."

"Why are you here?" Aang cut in quickly and he looked at Joo Dee with slightly narrowed eyes.

Joo Dee smiled and pulled one of the fliers out of her sleeve, showing it to the four, "Dropping fliers and putting up posters isn't permitted within the city. Not without proper clearance."

"We can't wait around to get permission for everything." Sokka commented firmly as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared slightly at the woman.

"You are absolutely forbidden by the rules of the city to continue putting up posters." Joo Dee recited and she smiled blankly.

"We don't care about the rules and we're not asking permission!" Aang shouted angrily as his face began to turn red and he forced Joo Dee to back out of the house, "We're finding Appa and Xia on our own and you should just stay out of way!"

He slammed the door in her distressed face, his face still red from angry as he glared at the closed door.

"That might come back to bite us in the blubber." Sokka quipped idly from behind the younger boy.

"I don't care!" Aang snapped then he took a deep breath as he started calming down, "From now we do whatever it takes to find Xia and Appa!"

"Yeah, let's break some rules!" Toph cheered as she lifted her arms ecstatically then she turned and took out a side of the house with Earthbending.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the four teens, two Dai Li agents watched as Momo flew out of the newly created whole in the side of the house, while Aang, Katara, and Sokka rushed out the house from the house roof across the street. The two glanced at each them slid down the roof to inform Long Feng.

* * *

"I'm very disappointed in your work with the Avatar and his friends, Joo Dee." Long Feng commented calmly as he sat in front of the woman he had originally assigned to keep an eye on the Avatar and his friends in the library, "I had hoped that you would be able to control this situation."

"I am so sorry, but they don't trust me anymore." Joo Dee replied in a distressed tone and her eyes began tearing up, "I don't think I can keep working like this!"

Long Feng looked at the sobbing woman impassively, "Joo Dee, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."

Almost immediately the woman stopped sobbing and her pupils dilated, nearly covering her whole iris.

"I am honored to accept his invitation."

"Good." Long Feng said with a small nod, "Now go await further orders."

Joo Dee stood and shuffled over to the library doors, passing the two Dai Li agents standing guard as if they weren't even there. Long Feng waited until the doors closed behind her then he stood and moved to stand in front of the fireplace, picking up a scroll as he went.

"If the Avatar keeps searching for his bison, it could upset the delicate balance we've worked so hard to achieve in this city." Long Feng stated as he stopped in front of the fireplace, the light from the green flames dancing across his face, "It could even cost us control of the Earth King."

"Should we take care of him?" One of the Dai Li agents asked impassively.

"No." Long Feng denied easily as he looked at the scroll in his hand, "It's much too dangerous for us to confront him directly. Let's see if we can still handle this quietly."

* * *

"Where's Xia?" Zuko asked after he had entered the apartment he, Xiaodan and his uncle would be moving out of and he looked around for the white-haired girl.

Iroh glanced up from where he was packing things away in preparation for the move, smiling faintly at his nephew, "I sent her to grab some groceries for our new place."

"So, I was thinking about names for my new teashop." Iroh continued speaking as he paused in his packing, "How about the Jasmine Dragon? It's dramatic, poetic, and has a nice ring to it."

Zuko ignored what his uncle was saying as he walked towards him, taking the flyer from his shirt and showing it to his uncle, "The Avatar is here in Ba Sing Se and he's lost his bison."

"We have a change for a new life here." Iroh said slowly as he looked at Zuko, who had moved to stand by the window after his uncle had taken the flyer and looked it over , "If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose all the good things that are happening for us."

"Good things that are happening to you!" Zuko snapped angrily as he whirled around to scowl at his uncle, "Have you ever thought that I want more from life than a nice apartment and a job serving tea?"

"Do you not see the blooming relationship between you and Xia as a good thing, Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked calmly then he continued, "There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity. I suggest you think about what it is that you want from your life and why."

Zuko pursed his lips and turned away from his uncle to stare out the window again, not wanting to acknowledge the thing between him and the white-haired Airbender,

"I want my destiny."

"What that means is up to you." Iroh replied wisely, watching as Zuko walked further into the apartment, then his face brightened as another name for the teashop came to mind, "The Tea Weevil!"

The former Fire Nation General frowned and shook his head, "No, that's stupid."

Neither of the Fire Nation men were aware of the female Airbender standing outside the apartment door, her orange eyes staring blankly at the door in front of her after hearing the end of Iroh's and Zuko's conversation.

* * *

Sokka brushed the glue on the wall then put up the poster, Toph leaning against the building beside him while Katara and Aang put up more posters.

"We'll split up to cover more area." Sokka said after he finished putting up one of the posters and he turned to look at Toph, "Toph, I guess you should just come with me."

"Why? Because you think I can't put up posters on my own?" Toph demanded and she angrily took the paintbrush of glue from Sokka, roughly brushing some glue on the wall then slapping one of the posters onto the glue. Unfortunately, the poster was backwards.

"It's upside-down, isn't it?" Toph asked with a sigh and she handed Sokka the brush back, "I'll just go with Sokka."

Sokka patted her shoulder and the group went separate ways, Toph following the older Water Tribe sibling.

* * *

Katara hummed quietly as she put up a poster on a short, stone water tower beside a canal.

"Katara?"

The dark-haired Waterbender gasped and whirled around at the familiar voice, her blue eyes narrowing dangerously when she saw Jet stepping out of a nearby alley.

"Katara? I think I can help you." Jet said as he approached her, only to gasp when she bended the water from the canal and launched it at him, "Katara, I've changed!"

The wave hit the brown-haired teen and threw him back into the alley he'd just come from. Katara ran forward and bended the water remained from the wave she created.

"Tell it to some other girl, Jet!" She spat angrily as she turned the water into ice then she threw the ice shards at him.

Jet quickly brought up his hook-swords and deflected the ice shards, stumbling backwards as he did so.

"I don't want to fight you, I'm here to help!" He pleaded with her and he dropped his swords on the ground.

Katara stared at him in surprise, looking at the swords then him and her stance relaxed slightly. She tensed again when Jet reached for something behind his back and she quickly fired more ice shards at him, pinning him to the wall behind him.

"Katara!" Sokka called out as he, Aang, and Toph ran towards her, "What is it?"

"Jet's back." Katara replied as she straightened and glared at the trapped boy, "We can't trust anything Jet says."

"But we don't even know why he's here!" Sokka protested as he looked between his sister and Jet in confusion.

"I don't care why he's here!" Katara retorted angrily, still feeling spiteful after what happened between her and the Freedom Fighter, "Whatever the reason is, it can't be good!'

"I'm here to help you find Appa!" Jet exclaimed and he opened his hand slightly, the missing Appa poster unfurling.

"Katara, we have to give him a chance." Aang stated calmly as he looked at the dark-haired girl.

"I swear, I've changed!" Jet pleaded, trying to prove to the group that he had changed, "I was a troubled person and I let my anger get out of control, but I don't even have the gang now! I've put all that behind me!"

"You're lying!" Katara shouted furiously, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides.

Toph sighed and walked forward, putting her hand on the wall Jet was pinned too, "He's not lying."

Sokka looked at the bling girl in confusion, "How can you tell?"

"I can feel his breathing and heartbeat." Toph explained easily, "When people lie, there's a physical reaction. He's telling the truth."

"Katara, we don't have any leads." Aang implored the dark-haired girl, "If Jet says he can take us to Appa, we have to check it out."

"Alright." Katara agreed with a small nod then she turned to glare at Jet angrily, "But we're not letting you out of our sight."

* * *

Xiaodan stared at the flyer in her hand then looked up at the large house in front of her, taking in the ruined wall. She tucked the flyer into her tunic and walked towards the large hole where she jumped lithely into it, a smile beginning to form as she touched the broken stone.

"Toph." Xiaodan mumbled and she shook her head fond amusement before walking into the main hall of the house, taking in the emptiness of it, "Well, Aang and the others were definitely here, but it looks like they left in a hurry…"

The white-haired Airbender frowned and put her hands on her hips as she stood in the middle of the raised area at the back of the main hall after exploring the entire house. Voices suddenly reached her ears and Xiaodan quickly slipped out the window she was standing in front of, somersaulting across the ground and landing in a crouch. Creeping back towards the window, Xiaodan peeked over the sill and watched with narrowed eyes as two Dai Li agents escorted five men into the house.

"Cover this and start repairs, Long Feng wants it to be repairs as soon as possible." One of the Dai Li agents ordered brusquely, "He wants no evidence of the destruction the Avatar's friend caused."

The five men bowed and the two Dai Li agents left. Xiaodan pursed her lips and slunk away from the house, keeping low to the ground until she was far enough away, then she snapped open her glider and took to the air.

"What kind of trouble have you gotten into, little brother?" She muttered to herself as she flew back to the new apartment she was sharing with Iroh and Zuko in the Upper Ring.

* * *

Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph followed Jet to an abandoned warehouse not too far from where Katara had attacked the brown haired teen.

"This is the place I heard about." Jet stated as he lead the group into the warehouse.

Aang ran forward and looked around eagerly, his expression falling a moment later, "There's nothing here."

Katara bended the water out of her canteen threateningly, "If this is a trap-"

"I told you, I work nearby!" Jet exclaimed in exasperation, "Two guys were talking about some giant furry creature they had, I figured it must be Appa!"

"He was here!" Toph suddenly shouted from where she had crouched down and she stood, showing the others the clump of Appa's fur she had picked up.

"We missed him…" Aang mumbled despondently as he took the fur and gently touched it.

"They took that big thing yesterday." An old man commented flatly as he swept the stone floor of the warehouse, "Shipped him out to some island. About time, I've been cleaning up fur, and various, uhh… _leavings_ all day."

Aang darted over to the man with a hopeful expression, "What island? Where's Appa?"

"Foreman said some rich royal type on Whale Tail Island bought him up." The old man replied as he stopped sweeping for a moment, "Guess for a zoo or such. Though, could be the meat that'd be good."

"We've got to get to Whale Tail Island!" Aang said urgently then he paused and his tone became dejected again, "Where's Whale Tail Island?"

"Far, very far." Sokka responded in dismay as he looked at his map then he put it on the ground, the others gathering around him, "Here it is. It's near the South Pole, almost all the way back home."

"Aang, it will take us weeks just to get to the tip of the Earth Kingdom." Katara said gently as she looked at the young Airbender, "And then we'll need to ding a boat to get to the island. Plus what about Xia, we still haven't found her either."

"Xia would understand, Katara. We have a change to find Appa! We have to try!" Aang retorted passionately.

"Xia?" Jet questioned, but was ignored when the old man spoke up as he swept past them.

"Must be nice to visit an island. I haven't had a vacation for years."

Katara whirled around to glare at the man, "Don't you have some more hair to clean up?"

"Shuffle on, I get you." The old man sighed and continued to sweep, "No more need for Old Sweepy."

"You're right, Aang, right now our first concern has to be finding Appa." Katara stated as she turned to look at the young Airbender again, "We can come back and look for Xia when he have him."

Aang nodded tensely in agreement.

"Alright, let's get moving." Sokka said after he had rolled up his map and tucked it away then he began leading the group out of the warehouse.

"I'll come with you." Jet offered hurriedly as he rushed to walk beside the Water Tribe boy.

"We don't need your help!" Katara snapped angrily from behind Sokka and Jet, her arms crossing over her chest.

"Why won't you trust me?" Jet asked in mild exasperation as he walked out of the warehouse with Sokka and Aang.

"Gee, I wonder." Katara muttered drily with a huff and she looked off to the side.

Toph turned her head slightly towards Katara, "Was this guy your boyfriend or something?"

"What?" Katara gasped in outrage and she blushed, "No!"

"I can tell your lying…" Toph replied in a sing-song voice, a smile spreading across her face.

Katara gaped at her then huffed again before running to catch up with the boys, causing Toph to laugh louder as she trailed after the other girl.

* * *

"We can take the train out to the wall, but then we'll have to walk." Sokka commented as he led the group, plus Jet through the city.

"Don't worry, on the way back, we'll be flying!" Aang said excitedly, a happy smile on his face.

"We're finally leaving Ba Sing Se." Toph quipped happily from the back of the group and she tossed her arms in the air, "Worst city _ever_!"

"Jet!"

Katara stopped and turned around, her eyes narrowing when she saw Smellerbee and Longshot running towards them.

"I thought you said you didn't have your 'gang' anymore!" She snapped accusingly, glaring angrily at Jet.

Jet spun around and looked at Katara then Smellerbee in confusion, "I don't!"

Smellerbee collided with Jet and wrapped her thin arms around him in a tight hug, Longshot following her at a slower pace.

"We were so worried about you!" The short-haired girl gasped and she pulled way to look at the older boy in confusion, "How did you get away from the Dai Li?"

"The Dai Li?!" Katara squawked in shock, her face paling slightly.

"I don't know what she's talking about!" Jet exclaimed in confusion and he looked at Katara almost pleadingly.

"He got arrested by the Dai Li a couple of weeks ago." Smellerbee explained after she had stepped away from Jet, "We saw them drag him away!"

"Why would I be arrested?" The shaggy haired teen demanded, "I've been living peacefully in the city."

Toph crouched down and put her hand on the ground, "This doesn't make any sense. They're both telling the truth."

"That's impossible." Katara denied in a bewildered tone.

"No, it's not!" Sokka remarked loudly, pulling everyone's attention to him, "Toph can't tell who's lying because they both think they're telling the truth. Jet's been brainwashed!"

"That's crazy! It can't be!" Jet snapped and he glanced to the side as the others began closing in on him, "Stay away from me!"

* * *

Later that night, a Dai Li agent patrolled the streets quietly, his hands folded in the sleeves of his robes.

"Out of my way, skinny!" A man suddenly snapped as he roughly shoved the Dai Li agent when he ran past him.

The Dai Li agent scowled and lifted his hands, preparing to use his rock gloves, but the disguised man darted into an alley. The agent ran after the man and quickly launched his rock gloves when he saw what looked like the man that had run into him. One of the rock gloves struck the figure's chest and the other hit the figure's head, knocking it clean off and causing the figure to slump to the side.

"Huh?" The agent muttered in confusion then he stiffened when he felt cold metal press against his neck.

"If you don't want to end up like him, you'll do what I say."

The Dai Li agent gulped quietly, sweat forming at his brow.

* * *

Xiaodan tilted her head and watched as the mysterious Blue Spirit was led out of the alley by the Dai Li agent he'd captured a moment ago. The white-haired Airbender pursed her lips and stealthily followed after the Blue Spirit and the Dai Li agent, keeping to the rooftops and the shadows.

* * *

"The Dai Li must have sent Jet to mislead us, and that janitor was part of their plot too!" Katara exclaimed as she, Sokka, Aang, Toph, Smellerbee, and Longshot stood surrounded a seated Jet in Smellerbee's and Longshot's apartment.

"I bet they have Appa here in the city." Aang said eagerly, "Maybe he's in the same place they took Jet! Where did they take you?"

"Nowhere!" Jet replied exasperatedly, "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"We need to find a way to jog his real memories." Aang suggested slowly as he tapped his chin in thought.

"Maybe Katara should kiss him." Sokka quipped with a smirk, "That should bring something back!"

"Maybe _you_ should kiss him, Sokka!" The dark-haired Waterbender snapped angrily at her brother, steam practically coming from her ears.

"Hey, just an idea!"

Aang scowled faintly, "A bad one…"

"Ohh, wait! I got it!" Sokka crowed and he ran toward the mattress in the corner, taking a piece of straw from it and sticking it in Jet's mouth.

"I don't think it's working…" Jet muttered then spat the piece of straw out.

"Try to think of something from your past that triggers your emotions." Toph suggested from where she was standing beside Katara with her arms crossed.

"The Fire Nation!" Smellerbee gasped and she took a step towards Jet, "Remember what they did to your family!"

"Close your eyes." Katara instructed softly, "Picture it."

Jet sighed and closed his eyes, his brow furrowing as sweat began to form on his forehead as he remembered his village burning before his eyes when he was younger.

"No!" The brown haired teen hissed and he snapped his eyes open again, "It's too painful."

Katara moved until she was standing behind Jet and she quickly bended some water from her canteen.

"Maybe this will help." She said as she put her water-covered hands near Jet's ears, using healing to help clear his mind.

Jet closed his eyes slowly, inhaling sharply as his mind was assaulted with images.

'_A large lake, the blue water reflecting the sunlight and in the middle of the lake stood Long Feng with his hands clasped behind his back and an impassive expression on his face. Long Feng stared at him and Jet was abruptly being submerged under the lake and into an underground room. He was strapped down to a chair and a Dai Li agent stood in front of him, a lit lantern spinning repetitively around his head…'_

"They took me to a headquarters under the water." Jet said slowly as his mind cleared and he looked up at the other teens, "Like a lake!"

"Wait!" Sokka exclaimed as a thought occurred to him and he held up a finger, "Remember what Joo Dee said? She said she went on vacation to Lake Laogai!"

"That's it!" Jet agreed eagerly as he got to his feet, "Lake Laogai."

* * *

"So where's this secret headquarters?" Sokka asked as he, Aang, Katara, Toph, Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot stood at the edge of Lake Laogai the next morning.

"Under the water, I think." Jet replied and his brow furrowed slightly as he looked at the calm water of the lake.

Toph pointed to the side, "There's a tunnel right there by the shore."

The others watched curiously when she started to whistle as she walked to the edge of the shore a few feet away then she jumped up slightly and thrusted her fists in the air, Earthbending up a slab of rock with a closed, circular entrance at the end. The blind girl jerked her fists upward again and Earthbended the rock covering the entrance out of the way, then she and the rest of the teens walked over to the whole and peered down. Momo chittered and leapt off Aang's shoulder, flying away.

The group glanced at each other, then one by one, they each climbed down the tunnel. Jet peered around the corner then nodded at the others, signaling that the coast was clear and the seven teens began walking down a long hallway.

"It's all starting to come back to me!" Jet whispered as he looked around the hallway, the group sneaking past a room where a member of the Dai Li was brainwashing group of women.

"I'm Joo Dee." The Dai Li agent stated slowly, "Welcome to Ba Sing Se."

"I'm Joo Dee." The group of women chorused blankly, "Welcome to Ba Sing Se."

"We're so lucky to have our walls to create order."

"We're so lucky to have our walls to create order." The women repeated, their voices as blank as their gazes.

Sokka shuddered and shook his head as he quietly snuck past the room after the others.

"I think there might be a cell big enough to hold Appa up ahead." Jet commented and the group came to a stop in front of a large door, "I think it's through here!"

He reached out and slowly opened the door.

* * *

Appa's eyes snapped opened and he stood with a growl when he heard his door open. He growled louder when he saw someone he didn't recognize standing in the doorway.

"Expecting someone else?" Zuko, disguised as the Blue Spirit asked coldly as he closed the door behind him and he unsheathed his swords, stalking towards the growling sky bison.

* * *

Xiaodan pursed her lips and looked around the Dai Li's underground headquarters, her orange eyes narrowed as she silently walked down the hall she thought she saw Zuko go down in. She tensed when she heard a noise come from around the corner and she quickly pressed her back against the wall, her staff held defensively in her hand. Xiaodan crouched and spun around the corner on the balls of her feet, swinging her staff and sending a crescent of air at the legs of the person who had been about to turn the corner.

The Dai Li agent went down with a small yelp and in a flash, Xiaodan was standing over him with her staff held threateningly to his throat.

"Where's the Avatar's bison?"

The young Dai Li agent swallowed quietly as he stared up into the white-haired girl's furious molten orange eyes.

* * *

Jet led the group into the large stone chamber, all of them looking around warily. Suddenly the door closed behind them and Sokka gasped as he and Smellerbee whirled around to look at it. Light abruptly filled the chamber and the seven teens looked up, staring in surprise and dismay at several Dai Li agents hanging from the ceiling above them, plus a few agents that were on the ground with Long Feng.

"Now that's something different." Sokka remarked faintly as he looked at the agents.

"You have made yourselves enemies of the state." Long Feng stated coldly as the teens began unsheathing their weapons or preparing to bend, "Take them into custody."

The Dai Li agents jumped off the ceiling and quickly surrounded the teens, two agents firing rock gloves at them, but Toph pushed herself to the front of the group and used Earthbending to break the gloves. She shifted her feet and lifted her fists, sending the two agents flying through the air with rock pillars a moment later.

Jet scowled and ran towards two other agents, breaking the rock gloves they launched at him with his hooks swords, then he slid across the ground and snagged one of the agent's ankles with the hook of his sword, yanking the agent of his feet.

Aang thrusted his fist towards another Dai Li agent, Airbending the man out of the way then he spun and did the same to a second agent, Two Dai Li sent their rock gloves at Sokka and Katara, who easily destroy them, but a second pair of rock gloves grabbed them and yanked them forward.

Toph quickly intervened by creating a wave of rock in front of the siblings, destroying the gloves then she spun around and faced the two Dai Li agents. The Dai Li agents sent their own wave at the blind girl, but Toph merely lifted herself on a large rock pillar, prompting the two agents to do the same while a third and fourth ran up the wall and Earthbended pillars from the wall straight at her. The blind Earthbender hit the first two Dai Li agents with two rocks then she leapt up and onto the two horizontal pillars the third and fourth agent launched at her, quickly knocking those agents of the pillars with two rocks when they charged her.

Toph was suddenly yanked off the pillar by a rock glove, which yanked her towards the ground, but before the Dai Li that had launched the rock glove could get her, Jet swung by and freed her. The Dai Li agent followed their movements and kicked the rocks on his feet them, but Longshot fired an arrow that destroyed the glove before it even reached Jet or Toph. Jet quickly let go of Toph, who flipped and landed on her feet behind Longshot while Jet landed in front of the archer, his hook-swords raised to hold off more of the Dai Li's rock attacks.

Aang snarled slightly as he knocked away two Dai Li agents with Airbending and he spotted Long Feng escaping thought a door which immediately closed after him.

"Long Feng is escaping!" Aang shouted and he and Jet ran after Long Feng, Aang easily Earthbending a hole in the wall.

They raced down another tunnel after the man and into another part of the headquarters, looking around for the man. Aang and Jet whirled around when they heard rock slid into place and they saw that Long Feng had sealed them in the chamber and was standing in front of them with a hard expression.

"Alright, Avatar, you've caused me enough problems." Long Feng snapped at Aang, "This is your last chance…If you want you bison back."

Aang scowled and pointed his staff at the man threateningly, "You do have Appa! Tell me where he is!"

"Agree to exit the city now, and I'll waive all charges against you and allow you to leave with your lost…pet." Long Feng replied coldly, a small smirk on his face.

Jet shifted into a fighting position with his swords raised, "You're in no position to bargain."

"Am I not?"

"You're definitely not!" Aang shouted back as he took an Airbending stance with his staff raised.

"Jet." Long Feng stated calmly, "The Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."

Jet's face suddenly went blank and his pupils dilated, "I am honored to accept his invitation."

Aang looked at the older boy in confusion then he yelped and ducked just in time to avoid having his head cut off by Jet's swords when he suddenly attacked. Aang gritted his teeth as he spun around Jet and lifted his staff defensively in front of him to fend another attack.

* * *

Zuko watched impassively through his mask as the Avatar's sky bison roared and stomped one foot, the chains around his six legs preventing him from reaching the banished prince.

"You're mine now." Zuko said then whirled around and assumed a fighting stance when the door suddenly opened behind him.

"Uncle?" Zuko questioned in confusion when he saw Iroh standing in the doorway.

"So, the Blue Spirit." Iroh mused with false thoughtfulness as the door slid shut behind him and Xiaodan, "I wonder who could behind that mask…"

Zuko sighed and took off the mask, "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Iroh stated and his voice began firm, "What do you plan to do now that you've found the Avatar's bison? Keep him locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him? What about Xiaodan? What do you think she'll do when she finds out that you've taken her brother's bison?"

"Xia wouldn't be a problem because she wouldn't find out." Zuko replied flippantly as he turned back to look at the still growling sky bison, "But, first I have to get it out of here."

"And then what?! You never think these things through!" Iroh demanded furiously and he pointed at his nephew, "This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole! You had him, and then you had nowhere to go!"

"I would have figured something out!" Zuko shouted as he whirled around to face his uncle again.

"No!" Iroh yelled right back, "If his friends hadn't found you, you have frozen to death!"

"I know my own destiny, Uncle!"

"Is it you own destiny, or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you?"

"Stop it, Uncle!" Zuko shouted desperately and he turned back to the bison with his swords slightly raised, "I have to do this!"

"I'm begging you, Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions." Iroh said, his voice lowering to a normal volume, though it was still just as firm as before, "Who are you, and what do _you_ want."

Zuko's shoulders trembled slightly then he suddenly gave a wordless scream and threw down his dao blades and the Blue Spirit mask.

* * *

Xiaodan paused in front of the door the Dai Li agent had led her to, her orange eyes narrowed.

"For your sake, this better not be a trap." She said grimly then she abruptly swung her staff, catching the agent upside the head and knocking him unconscious.

Xiaodan dropped her staff and caught the young man before he hit the ground then she gently lowered him the rest of the way, propping him up against the wall in a shadowed corner.

"Sorry about that." The white-haired girl mumbled sincerely, picking up her staff and turning towards the door.

Xiaodan took a deep breath then exhaled it slowly as she reached out and opened the door.

"Oh monkey-feathers!"

* * *

"Jet, it's me, Aang!" Aang shouted as he ran away from the brainwashed Freedom Fighter after he dodged a swing from his hook-swords, "You don't have to do this!"

"I'm afraid he no longer has a choice." Long Feng remarked coolly, a cruel smirk on his face as he watched Aang continued to avoid Jet's swings.

Aang gasped and ducked another swing, quickly using Airbending to send the other boy back. Jet used his hook-swords to stop himself from going back any father and he panted, sweat beading at his forehead and his pupils still wide.

"Jet, I'm your friend!" Aang pleaded as he stepped forward and put a hand over his chest, "Look inside your heart!"

Jet closed his eyes and turned his head slightly, his brow furrowing deeply.

Long Feng narrowed his eyes and barked out, "Do your duty, Jet!"

"He can't make you do this!" Aang tried again, looking at the older boy desperately when Jet took a few steps toward him with his swords raised, "You're a Freedom Fighter!"

Jet froze abruptly and his eyes widened, a memory of Longshot, Smellerbee, Pipsqueak, Sneers, and the Duke assaulted his mind. The memory was rapidly followed by another one of him and Katara as they were pulled up to the Freedom Fighters' old hideout, then another of the other Freedom Fighters cheering as they sat down to eat together. Memories of him with Longshot and Smellerbee on the ferry to Ba Sing Se, of him sitting down with the teens he knew as Lee and Xin and Lee's uncle Mushi, him handing out food to the other refugees on the ferry, his village burning down, the orange light the Dai Li used to brainwash him, and finally coming to a stop on Long Feng's face just before he was taking to the secret headquarters.

"Do it!" Long Feng barked furiously, "Do it now!"

Aang watched as Jet suddenly spun around and threw one of his sword at Long Feng, only for the older man to sidestep the blade then launch an uplifted rock at him. The dust from Long Feng's attack cleared and Aang gasped when he saw Jet lying limply on the ground in front of the uplifted rock. The young Avatar quickly ran forward and dropped to his knees beside the older boy, his eyes worried.

"Foolish boy." Long Feng muttered as he Earthbended a pillar and lifted himself up to a pipe high in the wall, "You've chosen your own demise."

"I'm sorry…Aang." Jet rasped weakly after Long Feng had escaped into the pipe.

"Don't be." Aang replied sadly, glancing up when he heard the rock door slide up and the others rushed towards him and Jet, shocked and sorrowful expressions on their faces as they gathered around Jet.

Katara quickly kneeled beside him and tried to heal him, stopping a moment later with a dismayed expression, "This isn't good."

"You guys go and find Appa." Smellerbee whispered as she kneeled beside her friend, tears glimmering in her eyes, "We'll take care of Jet."

"We're not going to leave you." Katara protested weakly.

"There's no time. Just go." Longshot ordered calmly, speaking for the time as he looked at the others from under his straw hat and they stared at him surprise, "We'll take care of him. He's our leader."

"Don't worry, Katara." Jet said quietly as he looked up at the dark-haired Waterbender with a small smile, "I'll be fine."

Katara hesitated, but after a moment she, Aang, Sokka, and Toph stood and began walking away slowly.

Toph bowed her head, her voice full or sorrow as she whispered to Sokka, "He's lying…"

* * *

Smellerbee cried quietly as she kneeled beside Jet, Longshot standing guard beside her as he notched and arrow in his bow just in case.

* * *

Toph quickly opened the stone door to the cell Appa was supposed to be in and the group walked in, staring in dismay and surprise at the empty room.

"Appa's gone!" Aang cried out in despair, "Long Feng beat us here."

"If we keep moving, maybe we can catch up with them." Sokka suggested and the group run out of the chamber and back into the hall, none of them noticing the unconscious Dai Li agent leaning against the wall in the shadows.

Toph quickly found another way to exit the underground headquarters and she quickly Earthbended it up above the lake, destroying the stone door that was in the way. As the group ran down the beach, Aang glanced over his shoulder and his eyes widened when he saw several Dai Li agents exiting the tunnel and running after them.

"You think we can outrun them?" Sokka asked when he noticed the Dai Li agents.

"I don't think it's gonna matter!" Aang replied back and he gestured in front of them where another group Dai Li agents, plus Long Feng, were standing several yards in front of them.

Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Katara slid to a halt and the Dai Li agents boxed them in, lifting up the ground in front and behind them while another group stood on the wall of the cliff to their left. Momo suddenly appeared and flew down to Aang, landing on his shoulder and chittering rapidly.

"What is it, Momo?"

Momo took off again and the four teen watched as he briefly disappeared in the glare of the sun before a loud roar could be heard and Appa came flying toward them.

"Appa!" Aang shouted ecstatically, watching with a gleeful smile as the sky bison barreled through the wall of rock the Dai Li had erected in front of and behind the teens, scattering the agents.

Aang and Toph quickly used Earthbending to knock the other agents off the cliff wall and into the lake while Appa flew back around and landed in front of Long Feng. The sky bison growled furiously as he crouched slightly in front of the man, his lips curled back to show his teeth.

"I can handle you by myself." Long Feng growled and he charged at Appa, but the sky bison grabbed his leg with his teeth and tossed him towards the lake, causing Long Feng to skip across the water a few times before disappearing under.

Appa snorted and spat Long Feng's shoe from his mouth, just before Aang leapt onto his face. Sokka, Toph, and Katara ran after the young Airbender, cheering and shouting happily as they embraced or touched the sky bison.

"Yeah!" Sokka cheered as he rubbed Appa's head, "Appa!"

Aang smiled as tears of joy slid down his face, "I missed you buddy."

Appa rumbled happily and closed his eyes, reveling in affection the teens were bestowing him.

Katara somberly looked over Lake Laogai as Appa flew over it after the group spent several moments celebrating the sky bison's return. She quickly wiped away the tears that had gathered in her eyes when she felt someone put their hand on her shoulder and she turned, giving Aang a watery smile. Aang smiled back at her sadly then gently pulled her into a group hug, all of them feeling Xiaodan's absence in that moment as they embraced.

* * *

Zuko climbed out of the main entrance to the Dai Li's secret headquarters, turning around and helping his uncle out a moment later.

"You did the right thing, nephew." Iroh said gently and he watched as Zuko took the Blue Spirit mask from his belt and looked at it, "Leave it behind."

Zuko sighed quietly and dropped the mask into the water, watching it sinking to the bottom of the leg. Suddenly, something hard hit the top of his head and he hissed, unsheathing his dao blades as he whirled around to face whatever or whoever attacked him. The scarred prince instantly straightened and dropped his arms to his sides, staring at Xiaodan's familiar tanned and tattooed face as she glowered at him.

"Xia?" Zuko questioned and he ducked just in time to avoid another hit to the head, "What was that for?!"

Iroh surreptitiously edged away from the two teens and turned his back, pretending not to pay attention to either of them, not that they really noticed since it seemed that they had forgotten he was there.

"That was for trying to kidnap Appa, you jerk!" Xiaodan snapped back with a scowl that smoothed out into a small smile a moment later as she took a step towards him, pressing a chaste kiss to his scarred cheek, "And that was for _not_ kidnapping him. Thank you, Zuko."

Zuko opened his mouth to say then closed it a second later, bowing his head slightly instead while a small, almost nonexistent smile tugged at his lips as he looked down at her. Iroh watched them with a faint smile on his lined face then he turned away again.

* * *

**Author's Note: Ay yi yi, this chapter was a bit of a doozy. I wasn't really sure how to get Xia to fit into at first, but then I just started writing and WHA-BAM! This happened. Anyhooties, I hope all y'all liked this chapter, because it has quite a bit of Zukia/Xiabug fluff in it. There will also be some Xiabug/Zukia fluff in the next chapter which takes place during Season 2 Episode 18: The Earth King, so stay tuned for that. On a side note, we are also getting super close to the climatic episode where Xia's Firebending capabilities are revealed! So excited for you guys to see what I have planned! **

**PS – On another side note, I'm also currently working on my Hiei/OC story and I hope to have the first chapter up sometime either this week or the next. I'd really love all y'alls feedback on that story too since I'm gonna be writing it pretty much the same way I'm writing this one where each chapter takes place during a certain episode. Anyhooties, on to the special mentions!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are freaking awesome-sauce!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**MidnightWolf191: **Haha, Zukia does kinda sound like Nokia, doesn't it? XD  
Haha, that's okay, I can't imagine Appa's Lost Days being a big hit with fans because of how sad it is, but I'm glad you liked the way I wrote it. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Jasmyn: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter despite Xia not really being in it. To answer your question, I planned on having Xia and Aang reunion during the Crossroads of Destiny and to answer your other question, I can tell you right now that Xia is not going to react well to Aang being shot by Azula, she's not going to react well at all. Anyhooties, I hope you liked the Zukia fluff in this chapter because there's quite a bit of it, I think.

**Molly Grace: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I always feel bad for Appa in that episode too, every time I watch it, I go and give all my pets some love just to make feel a little better. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter and I really can't wait for you to read the chapter 41 which will take place during the Crossroads of Destiny.

**Inigo Montoya: **Haha, Appa's my favorite animal on the show to, followed by Momo, then Bosco for some reason. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Thanks, I hope you like this chapter!

**LadyAmazon: **I hate animal cruelty too. Every time I see Appa's Lost Days, I have to go love on all my pets, just to reassure myself that they're all okay. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Cat of Flames: **Thanks, I hope you like this chapter too!

**Cookie Mafia Boss: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Yeah, it's not one of my favorites because of how sad it makes me. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Luna WhitewWolf: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you like all the Zukia fluff in this chapter!

**Haquikah: **Um, okay, I guess, I'm sorry the last chapter was boring and I'm sorry about the grammar, it was late when I wrote it and I forgot to go back over it when I woke up. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter.

**Becky: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last episode and I'm glad you like the way I don't make Xia center of the universe so to speak. Yeah, I try really hard not to abandon any of my stories. If I lose inspiration, I'll usually go work on another story or just take a break from writing all together until I can get back into the 'groove' so to speak. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!  
PS – Loved the picture you drew, it's absolutely awesome. Would you mind if I put the link on my profile so the other readers can see it?

**Chubbysquirrel132: **Thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far! Sorry for taking so long to update before, I'll try not to do that again and if I do, I'll make sure to put up an author's note or something. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!


	39. Chapter 39: The Earth King

**AN: Chapter 39 takes place during Season 2 Episode 18: The Earth King. Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

* * *

Aang sighed and hugged Appa's face happily, "I missed you more than you'll ever know, buddy. Now all we need is Xia and our family will be back together again."

Momo chittered happily as he flew into the side of Appa's head, clinging to the sky bison as if his life depended on it. Appa rumbled and licked Aang affectionately as the young Airbender let go of his head, causing Aang to laugh gleefully as the sky bison began nuzzling him.

Sokka looked over at the reunited friends then stood and walked over to where Toph was sitting on the ground with Katara standing beside her.

"Look, we escaped from the Dai Li. We got Appa back." The Water Tribe warrior said emphatically as he gestured with his arms, "I'm telling you, we should go to the Earth King now and tell him our plan. We're on a roll. Who knows, maybe we'll even find Xia in the city too!"

"One good hour after weeks of trouble isn't much of a roll…" Katara deadpanned and she crossed her arms over her chest, quirking a skeptical brow at her brother.

"We can build on it." Sokka retorted without missing a beat, "If we want to invade the Fire Nation when the eclipse happens, we'll need the Earth King's support."

"What makes you think we'll get it?" Toph asked drily from her spot on the ground, "I don't know if you noticed, but things don't usually go that smoothly for our little gang."

"I know, but I've got a good feeling about this." Sokka said confidently, "This time will be different."

Katara sighed and uncrossed her arms, giving her brother a stern look, "Sokka, Long Feng is in control of the city. His conspiracy with the Dai Li is too powerful. I think we should just keep flying and leave this horrible place behind us. Besides, for all we know, Xia isn't even _in_ the city anyway."

"I'm with Sweetness. I've seen enough of Ba Sing Se." Toph agreed wryly and she threw her hands up in the air, "And I can't even see!"

Aang suddenly landed beside Sokka with a grin, "But, now that we have Appa back, there's nothing stopping us from telling the Earth King the truth. About the conspiracy and the War. And Xia _is_ in Ba Sing Se, I know she is. I can feel it here.

He put a hand over his heart just before Sokka put his arm around his shoulder, a grin spreading across his tanned face.

"See? Aang's with me." Sokka stated smugly as he smiled at the younger boy, "It's the whole reason we came here in the first place. We have to try."

Katara pursed her lips and rubbed her chin in thought then sighed, "Well, I guess if the Earth King knew the truth, things could change."

Sokka and Aang grinned happily at her agreement then they looked towards Toph as the blind girl stood up.

"I don't trust the new positive Sokka." Toph quipped then she pointed at Sokka in an accusing manner, "Long Feng brainwashed you, didn't he?!"

Aang, Sokka, and Katara looked at her strangely before something caught Aang's eye and he ran to the edge of the small island in the middle of Lake Laogai that they had landed on.

"That's probably the Dai Li searching for us." Sokka deduced as he and Katara ran forward to stand beside Aang and they stared at the three ships sailing a few miles away then he looked at Katara with a quirked brow, "So?"

Katara hesitated a moment before she looked at Sokka with a determined expression, "Let's fly!"

Sokka nodded and the four teens ran over to Appa, climbing on to his back.

"Yip-yip!" Aang shouted after he had taken a seat on Appa's head, clutching at the sky bison's fur as he slapped his tail against the ground and leapt into the air, sailing towards the Earth King's palace.

"Can we please buy a new saddle?!" Toph shrieked as she, Katara, and Sokka held onto Appa's fur for dear life, "Riding bareback is terrifying!"

"There it is!" Sokka shouted over the wind as they flew closer to the palace in the middle of Ba Sing Se, "The whole thing is the palace! The Earth King's chamber should be in the center!"

"We have to be careful!" Katara stated as Appa flew closer, "Long Feng's probably warned the king that we're coming."

"Why would you assume that? If you ask me, I think we're just gonna sail right in and-" Sokka started to say only to cut himself off by screaming when a large rock almost hit them, "Aaah!'

"What was that?" Toph demanded.

"Surface-to-air rocks!" Sokka shouted back then yelped when he saw more being launched at them, "More incoming!"

Appa growled loudly as he dodged a few more of the rocks. Suddenly a rock flew at Aang from the side, but the young Avatar easily destroyed it with his hand. Another rock was launched at them head on and Aang jumped his feet and split the rock in half with his staff. Aang quickly launched himself from Appa's head and landed in front of the palace, using Earthbending to knock back the palace guards that had been standing there while Appa landed behind. Appa growled menacingly at the ostrich-horse, the captain of the guards was sitting on, causing the beast to rear back and throw the captain from the saddle before running away. The captain squeaked and crawled away quickly while Appa walked past, heading towards Aang.

Aang straightened and began running towards the stairs that lead into the palace, Sokka, Katara, and Toph jumping off Appa's back and following him. More guards abruptly appeared on either side of them and began Earthbending earth-cubes at the teens, but Toph easily use Earthbending to block the attacks while Aang broke the cubes with his staff and Katara used Waterbending to subdue the guards.

"Sorry!" The dark-haired Waterbender called out as she knocked the guards back with her water-whip.

More guards came charging at them from the palace and Toph shifted her feet and raised her hands, pushing them outward, which caused the tiles the guards were running along to flip over and trap the guards.

"Sorry!" Katara apologized again as the group ran past the trapped guards, "We just need to get through to see the Earth King!"

Even more guards appeared on the opposite side of a bridge and they launched two giant badgermole statues at the teens. Sokka blanched as he watched the statues come right towards them then he sighed in relief when Aang and Toph Earthbended a stone igloo around them, the statues breaking into little pieces as soon as they hit it.

Katara ran out of the igloo and charged towards the bridge, creating a ramp of ice from the water in her canteen which she slid up and over the moat, Waterbending a water-whip from the water as she did so. She lashed out at the guards with the water-whip, sending them all into the moat and she somersaulted as she landed, the water curling around her arms and shoulders. She quickly attacked the other guards that were still on her side of the moat, sending them all into the water.

Aang quickly leapt over the moat and swung his staff, freezing the guards in the water easily while Appa, Sokka, and Toph crossed the bridge. The group came to the base of the stairs that would lead into the palace, Appa growling angrily as more surface-to-air rocks were launched at them as even more guards ran down the stairs.

Toph smirked and ran towards the base of the stairs, raising her hands in the air just before she brought them down and to the side, Earthbending the stairs into a ramp that caused the guards to slide down it. Quickly, Aang and Toph then Earthbended the ground they and the others were standing on up the ramp, escalating them past the fall guards.

"Seriously, we're actually on your guys' side!" Sokka shouted in exasperation at the falling guards, then he paused when they reached the top, "Sorry!"

More guards came at the group from either side only to be pushed away by the slabs of rock Toph and Aang Earthbended at them.

"In there!" Sokka exclaimed and he led the group into the palace, coming to a stop inside a large chamber with three doors.

Another squad of guards appeared, but Toph easily defeated them with by Earthbending a pillars of rock that slammed the guards into the ceiling.

"Toph, which way to the Earth King?" Sokka demanded hurriedly as he looked at each of the doors.

"How should I know?" The blind girl snapped as she Earthbended a rock wave at two more guards, "I'm still voting we leave Ba Sing Se."

Sokka growled and ran towards one of the doors, throwing it open and looking inside before slamming it shut again when he saw it was empty. He quickly ran to the second door and did the same, opening then closing it again while another wave of rock took out more guards behind him. The young Water Tribe warrior quickly ran to the third door and threw it open, blanching when he saw a woman in the room.

"Burglar!" The woman shrieked as she threw her hands in the hair before she fainted.

"Sorry." Sokka squeaked and he shut the door, resting his back against it, "Wrong door!"

* * *

Xiaodan watched slightly worriedly as Zuko opened the door to the new apartment the three shared and he shuffled inside with his shoulders slumped and his dao blades' sheath dragging across the ground. The white-haired girl quietly stepped inside the apartment after him, gently taking the sheath from him and leaning it against the wall before walking closer to him with a worried frown.

"You did the right thing." Iroh commented proudly as he entered the apartment and shut the door behind him softly, "Letting the Avatar's bison go free."

"I don't feel right." Zuko mumbled weakly as he swayed slightly, his vision going blurry before his eyes shut and he fell forward.

"Firebug!" Xiaodan gasped and lunged forward, catching him before he hit the ground, his sudden deadweight causing her to stumble and fall onto her backside, accidently bumping into a small wooden stand and knocking over the vase that was resting on it.

"Zuko!" Iroh exclaimed in shocked worry and he rushed forward, dropping to his knees beside Xiaodan and his unconscious nephew.

Xiaodan looked up at Iroh with an anxious and slightly frightened expression as she gently shifted Zuko in her arms so his back was against her chest and his head was resting on her shoulder.

* * *

Sokka frowned and looked around the chamber the group had entered then he turned around, his expression brightening slightly as he quickly climbed up a large pile of rubble that was blocking one corridor.

"Now that is an impressive door." Sokka commented with grin as he looked at the massive double door at the end of the corridor and he scrambled down the rubble, running towards the door, "It's gotta go somewhere."

The Water Tribe warrior jumped up, executing a flying kick at the door, "Yaaah!"

The door didn't budge and Sokka fell to the floor in a heap then he jumped up and began pushing at furiously, but it still refused to open. Toph and Aang suddenly ran up behind him and Aang slammed his staff down, busting the doors down and knocking Sokka forward in the process.

Sokka groaned as he pushed himself up and he rubbed his head, glaring over his shoulder at Aang, "A little warning next time?"

Aang and Toph ignored him as they ran into the large chamber where the Earth King was sitting on his throne, with Katara right behind them. The four teens stopped several feet from the throne when Long Feng and five Dai Li agents ran in front of the Earth King and they quickly prepared their weapons or shifted into a bending stance.

"We need to talk to you." Aang stated firmly as he held his staff at the ready, Katara standing beside him with her water-whip, while Sokka had his machete unsheathed and Toph had a boulder floating in front of her.

Long Feng glared at them for a moment then turned to look at the Earth King, "They're here to overthrow you."

"No, we're on your side." Sokka retorted sharply, "We're here to help."

"You have to trust us." Katara added in a slightly pleading tone.

The Earth King stood slowly and took a few steps forward, "You invade my palace, lay waste to all my guards, break down my fancy door, and you expect me to trust you?"

Toph tilted her head slightly, "He has a point."

"If you are on my side, then drop you weapons and stand down!" The Earth King ordered firmly.

The four teens looked at each other for a second then Aang straightened and dropped his staff then Katara put her water back in her water skin, Sokka dropped his machete, and Toph dropped the boulder she was levitating in front of her. Aang flashed a smile at the Earth King.

"See?" He asked with forced lightness and he chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head, "We're your friends, Your Earthiness."

The king remained silently as he stared at them impassively while Long Feng signaled for the Dai Li to use their rock gloves to cuff the group's arms behind their back.

Long Feng smiled sinisterly, "Detain the assailants!"

The five Dai Li agents rushed forward and came to a stop behind the teens, their heads bowed slightly.

"But wed dropped our weapons." Sokka protested in confusion, "We're your allies."

Long Feng smirked faintly, "Make sure the Avatar and his friends never see daylight again."

"The Avatar?" The Earth King asked in shock and he pointed at Sokka in confusion, "You're the Avatar?"

"Uh, no." Sokka replied flatly and he nodded his head towards Aang, "Him."

Aang grinned and effortlessly broke free of his earth cuffs, raising his arms and waving at the Earth King.

"Over here." The young Avatar said with a cheesy grin as he reattached his earth cuffs behind his back.

"What does it matter, Your Highness?" Long Feng asked with a frown, "They're enemies of the state."

"Perhaps you're right." The king mused unsurely then he smiled when his bear sniffed and licked Aang's cheek, causing the young boy to laugh, "Bosco seems to like him. I will hear what he has to say."

Long Feng glared angrily at Aang as he walked forward to stand a few feet in front of the dais the king and Long Feng were standing on.

"Well, sir, there's a war going on right now. For the past one hundred years in fact." Aang explained carefully, "The Dai Li's kept it secret from you. It's a conspiracy to control the city, and to control you."

"A secret war?" The king demanded and he shook his head in disbelief, "That's crazy!"

"Completely!" Long Feng agreed with a small sneer.

"Long Feng didn't want us to tell you, so he stole our sky bison to blackmail us." Aang continued firmly and he glowered slightly at Long Feng, "And blackmail is the least of his crimes. He brainwashed our friend!"

Long Feng quickly turned to face the king, "All lies. I've never even seen a sky bison, Your Majesty. Frankly, I thought they were extinct."

"Your claim is difficult to believe." The king said slowly as he sat back down on his throne, "Even from an Avatar."

"These hooligans are part of an anarchist cell that my agents have been tracking for weeks." Long Feng whispered into the king's ear, "If you listen to them, you're playing right into your own destruction."

The Earth King pursed his lips in thought then sighed, "I have to trust my advisor."

The Dai Li agents grabbed the teens by the arms and began pulling them towards the door, but Sokka whirled around to face the king with an excited grin.

"Wait!" He shouted, "I can prove he's lying. Long Feng said he's never seen a sky bison. Ask him to lift his robe."

"What?" Long Feng demanded in shocked outrage as the king looked at Sokka suspiciously, "I am _not_ disrobing."

Aang and Sokka smiled slyly at each other and the older boy nodded once. Aang smirked and inhaled deeply then he blew a large gust of air at Long Feng's legs, lifting his robe and revealing the rectangular bite mark on his calf from where Appa bit him at the lake.

"Right there!" Aang exclaimed gleefully, "Appa bit him!"

"Never met a sky bison, huh?" Sokka asked rhetorically, a smug smile on his face.

"That happens to be a large birth mark." Long Feng snapped as he lowered his robes and his tone became sarcastic, "Thanks for showing everyone."

"Well I supposed there's no way to prove where those marks came from." The king stated unsurely, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Of course there is." Sokka replied with a grin and Aang easily escaped from the Dai Li agent holding him, the earth cuffs falling from his wrists.

"I'll be right back!" Aang shouted as he ran out of the throne room and a loud crash sounded from down the hall before he reappeared a few moments later with Appa and Momo in tow, "Open up, buddy."

Appa rumbled as he opened his mouth widely and Aang pointed at the sky bison's teeth with a cheeky smile then he moved over and pointed at the mark on Long Feng's leg.

"Yup. That pretty much proves it." The king commented wryly and the four teens cheered happily, "But that doesn't prove this crazy conspiracy theory."

Sokka, Toph, Katara, and Aang cheers faltered and their shoulders slumped.

"Though, I suppose the matter is worth looking into." The Earth King continued slowly and the four teens gave half-hearted cheers of approval.

"We'll take it." Sokka mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head.

Long Feng glared at the king from the corner of his eye then he and his agents stalked out of the room.

* * *

Xiaodan sat near Zuko's head as he rested on the sleeping pallet in their apartment, gently running her fingers through his sweat-dampened hair. Zuko shifted and his eyes fluttered open, the flickering around blearily.

"You're burning up. You have an intense fever." Iroh remarked quietly as he dipped a cloth in a bowl of cool water then he placed it on his nephew's forehead, "This will help cool you down."

"So thirsty." The scarred teen rasped and he tried to sit up, but both Iroh and Xiaodan gently made him lie back down.

Xiaodan grabbed the spoon from the bucket of clean water, carefully handing it to Iroh before she helped Zuko sit up slightly.

"Here's some clean water to drink." Iroh said as he held the spoon to Zuko's mouth, "Stay under the blankets and sweat this out."

Zuko grabbed the spoon and drank the water quickly, some of it spilling down his chin and chest then he tossed the spoon aside. Xiaodan shifted in surprise when he suddenly turned onto his side and grabbed the bucket before he tipped the water into his mouth, causing more water to spill. She winced when he threw the bucket aside, hitting the wall with a loud clatter, but she readily helped him lie back down on the sleeping mat. Iroh gently pulled the blankets up to Zuko's shoulders, exchanging a worried glance with Xiaodan as she began to gently run her fingers though the banished prince's hair again.

"I will go get more water." Iroh said quietly as he got to his feet and picked up the bucket, slipping out of the apartment and leaving his ill nephew in Xiaodan's care.

Xiaodan sighed quietly and leaned forward, pressing a lingering kiss to Zuko's forehead then she straightened. The white-haired Airbender closed her eyes and cleared her mind, slipping into a meditative state as she continued to run her fingers through Zuko's hair in a soothing manner.

* * *

"So this is what a train is like?" The Earth King, Kuei, asked slightly uncomfortably as he stood in the middle of a train cart surrounded by several guards while the other passengers stared at him in shock, "I didn't realize it would be this…public."

"So you've never been outside the Upper Ring before?" Katara asked in surprise from her seat beside her brother and Toph.

"I've never been outside the palace." Kuei replied cheerfully, causing Katara and Sokka to give each other sidelong glances.

"Now that's the way to travel." The Earth King stated as he looked outside the train window and smiled slightly when he saw Aang flying on Appa then he looked at the Water Tribe siblings, "So, may I ask where we're going?"

"Underneath Lake Laogai, Your Kingliness." Sokka replied easily as a frown began to appear on his face, "To the Dai Li's secret headquarters. You're about to see where all the brainwashing and conspiring took place"

The group, plus the king and his escort reached the lake a little bit later and Toph walked over to where the secret path was the first time, Earthbending it up out of the water which revealed that it had been destroyed and the entrance was missing.

"It's gone!" Toph exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh don't tell me-!" Sokka groaned then stopped, taking a deep breath as he gave a plastered on a fake smile and gave a thumbs up, "That's okay. Still got my positive attitude."

"The Dai Li must've known we were coming and destroyed the evidence!" Katara stated with a small scowl.

"Hmm…" King Kuei hummed as he looked at the teens suspiciously, "That seems awfully convenient."

"Hey, if anything, this proves the conspiracy exists even more." Sokka quipped weakly.

"Long Feng was right. This was a waste of time." The Earth King remarked drily and he turned to leave with his guards, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going back to the palace."

Katara suddenly smiled in realization and she turned to look at Sokka and Aang, "The wall! They'll never be able to cover that up in time."

"Oh yeah," Aang agreed excitedly and he jumped in front of the king, "If you come with us to the Outer Wall, we can prove to you that the secret war is real."

"No Earth King has ever been to the Outer Wall." King Kuei said with a slightly offended expression then he walked past Aang, "I don't have any more time for this nonsense."

Aang's shoulders slumped and he stared at the ground with a depressed look on his face.

Sokka ran up to stand beside Aang with a sly grin, "If you come with us, this time you can ride on Appa."

King Kuei stopped and a slow smile appeared on his face.

* * *

"AHHH!" King Kuei screamed at the top of his lungs in fear as he clung to the fur of Appa's back for dear life as Aang directed the sky bison towards the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se.

Toph turned her head towards him as she clung to Appa's fur beside the king, "First time flying?"

"It's both thrilling and terrifying!" The king exclaimed with a wide grin and Toph snickered quietly.

"Yeah, I hate it too."

"I have to be honest with you, part of me really hopes that what you're telling me about this war isn't true." King Kuei commented as he looked down at his hands.

Aang sighed from where he was sitting on Appa's head, "I wish it wasn't."

* * *

Xiaodan pursed her lips and gently took the wet cloth from Iroh, placing it over Zuko's forehead gently. The feverish teen groaned and rolled onto his side, his eyes moving restlessly behind his eyelids as shudders racked his frame as he dreamed.

'_Zuko, unscarred and dressed as the Fire Lord, sat in the throne room of the Fire Nation Palace. Suddenly, a red dragon and a blue dragon appeared and began circling around the pillars on either side of him. _

"_It's getting late." The blue dragon remarked in Azula's voice as it began circling around Zuko, "Are you planning to retire soon, my lord?"_

"_I'm not tired."_

"_Relax, Fire Lord Zuko." The blue dragon with Azula's voice whispered in his ear, "Just let go. Give into it. Shut your eyes for a while."_

_Zuko's eyes started to drift shut, but he snapped them open a moment later when his uncle's voice roared out of the red dragon._

"_No, Fire Lord Zuko!" The red dragon snapped in Iroh's voice, "Do not listen to the blue dragon. You should get out here right now. Go! Before it's too late!"_

"_Sleep now, Fire Lord Zuko." The blue dragon urged softly and suddenly both dragons disappeared, along with the throne room and the guards that had been watching Zuko crumbled into nothing. The blue dragon reappeared in front of him again._

"_Sleep." The blue dragon whispered then it suddenly charged at him with its mouth wide open, "Just like mother!"_

_Zuko's eyes widened when he saw his mother, Ursa, inside the darkness of the blue dragon's mouth._

"_Zuko!" His mother shouted desperately as she turned to look at him, "Help me!"_

_Zuko gasped when he saw himself in his mother's eyes and the floor beneath him disappeared, pulling him down with it…'_

Xiaodan frowned and gently ran the cloth over Zuko's face, wiping away the sweat that had gathered as he slept.

"Do not worry, Xia." Iroh said quietly as he held out a cup to tea to the white-haired girl, "My nephew is strong, he will pull through."

Xiaodan placed the towel in the bowl then she took the teacup with a sigh, "I know, Iroh. I know."

Iroh patted her shoulder then took a sip of his tea, both watching as Zuko continued to shiver under the blankets.

* * *

"It's still there!" Aang shouted and he pointed at the Fire Nation drill as the group flew over the Outer Wall.

"What is that?" King Kuei asked in shock as he stared down at the drill that was protruding from the Outer Wall.

"It's a drill." Sokka replied grimly, "A giant drill made by the Fire Nation to break through your walls."

The king looked down at the drill with a horrified expression and Aang quickly landed Appa on top of the wall, where the group looked down at the drill.

"I can't believe I never knew." King Kuei stated in disbelief and he closed his eyes, his head bowed slightly.

Long Feng appeared on an earth elevator with two Dai Li agents and they approached the group.

"I can explain this, Your Majesty." Long Feng said as the king and the others turned to look at him, "This is nothing more than…a construction project."

"Really?" Katara asked sarcastically and she gestured over the wall at the drill, "Then perhaps you could explain why there's a Fire Nation insignia on your 'construction project.'"

King Kuei looked at Long Feng suspiciously and the head of the Dai Li hurried to explain.

"Well, it's imported of course. You know you can't trust domestic machinery." Long Feng replied lightly then he looked at the king with a slightly worried expression, "Surely you don't believe these children instead of your most loyal attendant?"

King Kuei looked at Long Feng then at the four teens beside him and his expression became firm, "Dai Li! Arrest Long Feng! I want him to stand trial for crimes against the Earth Kingdom."

Long Feng, Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph stared at the king in shock and the two Dai Li agents exchanged sidelong glances before they launched metal shackles onto Long Feng's arms and pull him to them.

"You can't arrest me!" Long Feng yelled furiously as the two Dai Li agents began leading him away, "You all need me more than you know!"

"Looks like Long Feng is Long Gone! Ha!" Sokka crowed with a laugh and he wiped a fake tear from his eye, "Ah, yeah, I've been waiting to use that one."

Katara and King Kuei gave the Water Tribe boy unimpressed looks in response.

* * *

"I want to thank you, young heroes, for opening my eyes." King Kuei said gratefully as he sat on his throne later that night, "All this time, what I thought was a great metropolis was merely a city of food. And that makes me the king fool. We're at war. With the Fire Nation…"

"That's why we came to Ba Sing Se, Your Highness." Sokka stated as he stepped forward, "Because we think you can help us end the war."

"We don't have much time." Aang explained as Momo climbed up the king's arm, "There's a comet coming this summer. Its energy will give the Firebenders unbelievable strength. They'll be unstoppable."

"But there_ is_ hope." Sokka added with a small nod, "Before the comet comes, we have a window of opportunity, a solar eclipse is coming. The sun will be completely blocked by the moon, and the Firebenders will be helpless."

King Kuei gave the young Water Tribe boy a curious look, "What are you suggesting, Sokka?"

"That's the day we need to invade the Fire Nation." Sokka replied seriously, "The Day of Black Sun."

"I don't know." King Kuei said unsurely as Momo climbed back down his arm and laid on Bosco's back, "That would require moving troops out of Ba Sing Se. We'd be completely vulnerable."

"You're already vulnerable. The Fire Nation won't stop until Ba Si" Sokka stated matter-of-factly as he turned slightly to the side and crossed his arms over his chest, "You can either sit back and wait for that to happen, or take the offensive and give yourself a fighting change."

Kuei took a moment to think then he nodded, "Very well. You have my support."

Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph cheered happily, stopping a moment later when a man in military garb arrived.

"Your Majesty." The man said respectfully as he got bowed before the king, "I apologize for the interruption."

"This is General How." King Kuei said as he looked at the four teens, "He's the leader of the Council of Five, my highest ranking generals."

"We've searched Long Feng's office." General How stated as he straightened and looked up at the king, "I think we have something that will interest everybody."

Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph looked at each curiously before following the general towards the Long Feng's office with the king.

"There are secret files on everyone in Ba Sing Se." General How explained as another soldier placed a chest on the table the king was sitting at, "Including you kids."

"Secret files?" Aang asked in curious confusion.

King Kuei pulled took a scroll from the chest and read the side curiously, "'Toph Beifong'."

The king handed the scroll to General How, who then handed it to Toph. The blind girl handed the scroll to Katara and the Waterbender opened it.

"It's a letter from your mom." Katara said with a slightly smile as she read the letter and Toph's unseeing eyes widened in shock, "You're mom's here in the city. And she wants to see you."

"Long Feng intercepted out letters from home?" The blind girl asked rhetorically then she shook her head, "That's just sad."

"Aang?" King Kuei said as he held out another scroll to the bald boy.

"This scroll was attached to the horn of your bison when the Dai Li captured it." General How remarked as Aang took the scroll and opened it.

"It's from the Eastern Air Temple." Aang stated in surprise as he read the scroll.

Katara looked at the king hopefully, "Is there a letter for and Sokka by any chance?"

King Kuei looked in the box and gave the siblings a weak smile, "I'm afraid not."

"Oh…" Sokka sighed as he and his sister looked at the ground sadly.

"But there is an intelligence report that might interest you." General How said and he handed a scroll to Katara, who eagerly opened it.

"'A small fleet of Water Tribe ships.'" She read and Sokka looked at her in shock.

"What? That could be Dad!"

"'Protecting the mouth of Chameleon Bay. Led by Hakoda.'" Katara continued to read and she looked at Sokka with an excited smile, "It _is_ Dad!"

Aang suddenly shifted and looked up at the general with hopeful eyes, "Is there anything in Long Feng's secret files on someone named Xiaodan?"

The general pursed his lips in thought, "I'm not sure if there is. I can have someone look for you if you'd like."

Aang nodded eagerly, "Yeah, that would be great!"

* * *

"You should know that this is not a natural sickness," Iroh said as he poured the tea he had just made into three cups, "But that shouldn't stop of you from enjoying tea."

He gently helped Zuko sit up and put the cup to the ill teen's lips, letting Zuko drink the tea slowly.

'What's happening?" Zuko asked weakly in confusion and worry after he had taken a sip of the tea, his eyes briefly flickering over to Xiaodan, who was fast asleep beside him.

"Your critical decision." Iroh explained lowly as he held the teacup in one hand, "What you did beneath that lake. It was in such conflict with your image of yourself that you are now at war within your own mind and body."

Iroh held the teacup to Zuko's mouth again and the scarred teen took a small sip.

"What's that mean?" Zuko asked before he began coughing roughly a few moments later.

He shuddered then lied back down, almost unconsciously reaching out and grasping Xiaodan's hand where it rested beside his bed. The white-haired girl shifted slightly in her sleep, her hand tightening around his gently.

"You are going through a metamorphosis, my nephew. It will not be a pleasant experience, but when you come out of it," Iroh explained slowly as he turned and put the teacup down, grabbing the damp cloth and gently dabbing at the sweat on Zuko's brow as he continued to speak, "You will be the beautiful prince you were always meant to be."

Zuko sighed quietly as he fell back into a feverish sleep, his hand unconsciously tightening around Xiaodan's. Iroh smiled faintly at their clasped hands and he put the cloth back in the bowl of cool water.

* * *

"I can't believe it." Aang said as he sat cross-legged on the carpet in Long Feng's office with his friends, the scroll he'd received in his hands, "There's a man living at the Eastern Air Temple. He says he's a guru."

"What's a guru?" Sokka asked in befuddlement and he tapped his chin in thought, "Some kind of poisonous blowfish?"

Aang chuckled and shook his head, "No, a spiritual expert. He wants to help me take the next step in the Avatar journey. He says he can teach me to control the Avatar State."

Katara smiled and nodded her head, "And I can't believe we know where our dad is now."

"I know what you mean." Toph agreed and she smiled slightly, "My mom's in the city. And from her letter it sounds like she finally understands me."

"This is all such big news!" Sokka exclaimed excitedly as he waved his hands above his head, "Where do we start?"

Katara pursed her lips and looked at the others with a small frown, "I hate to say it, but we have to split up."

"Split up?" Aang questioned worriedly, "We just found Appa and we still need to find Xia for our family to be complete again! Now you want us to separate?"

"You have to meet this guru, Aang." Katara pointed out calmly, "If we're going to invade the Fire Nation, you need to be ready. And you said so yourself, you and Xia always find each other anyway."

Aang sighed and nodded in reluctant agreement, "Well, if I'm going to the Eastern Air Temple, Appa and I can drop you off at Chameleon Bay to see your dad."

"Someone has to stay here with the Earth King and help him plan the invasion." Sokka stated with a small sigh and he stood up, "I guess that's me."

"No, Sokka." Katara stated with a shake of her head as she stood too, "I know how badly you wanna help Dad. You go to Chameleon Bay. I'll stay here with the king. Plus if I stay, I'll be here when General How finds that information on Xia, I can tell her where you are, Aang."

Aang smiled and nodded happily while Sokka began dancing and jumping around.

"You are the nicest…sister…ever!" Sokka all but squealed and he kissed Katara's cheek happily.

"Easy there, big brother." Katara said with a slight chuckle as she pushed her brother away slightly, "Though you're right, I am."

* * *

The next morning, Aang and Sokka stood outside the palace with Toph and Katara, preparing to leave on Appa. Katara was petting Appa's side with a small smile on her face and Aang shuffled towards her nervous.

"Katara? I need to tell you something." Aang said, blushing brightly when she turned to look at him with a curious smile, "I've been wanting to say it for a long time."

"What is it, Aang?" Katara asked and she tilted her head slightly to the side.

Aang rubbed the back of his head, "Katara, I-"

Sokka suddenly cut Aang off midsentence by throwing his arm around the younger boy's neck and giving him a noogie.

"Alright!" The Water Tribe boy crowed gleefully, "Who's ready to get going on our little men-only man trip?"

Katara rolled her eyes and gave her brother an annoyed looked while Aang scowled faintly at him, still trapped in Sokka's headlock.

"Aang and Sokka," King Kuei called out as he approached the group and the two boys turned to look at him curiously, "I wish you a good journey. Ba Sing Se owes you its thanks. We look forward to your safe return."

Sokka let Aang go and he, Aang, and Katara all bowed to the king respectfully then Sokka turned to start climbing onto Appa's back. A soldier walked up to the king and bowed briefly.

"Your Majesty. There are three female warriors to see you. They're from the island of Kyoshi."

"That's Suki!" Sokka exclaimed in shock and he lost his grip on Appa's fur, falling to the ground in a heap.

"You know these warriors?" The king asked inquisitively.

"Oh yeah." Sokka said with a nod as he got to his feet, "The Kyoshi Warriors are a skilled group of fighters. Trustworthy too. They're good friends of ours."

King Kuei smiled, "Then we shall welcome them as honored guests."

Aang turned to get onto Appa, but Katara touched his arm.

"Wait. Aang." She said then she hugged him and kissed his cheek, causing him to blush brightly and smile happily, "I'll find Xia, I promise."

Toph walked over to the two and smiled at them, "I'm really gonna miss you guys."

Katara reached out and pulled Toph into the hug while Sokka looked away and crossed his arms.

"Me too." The Waterbender agreed with a slightly sad smile.

"Yeah." Aang added with a nod as he hugged both girls.

The three broke apart and turned to look at Sokka then they exchanged mischievous smiles before they hugged him.

"Aahh! Great. That's enough." Sokka grunted and he smiled slightly, "Okay, we love each other."

He patted Aang's and Katara's head when the three young teens didn't let him go, "Seriously."

Katara giggled and the three let go, Sokka and Aang climbing onto Appa, who took off a moment later. Toph waved over her shoulder as she walked down the stairs of the palace, heading towards the house her mother was supposed be staying in.

* * *

Zuko's eyes fluttered open and he woke up with a small groan. He flexed his fingers slightly then blinked blearily in confusion at the slight heaviness he felt. He stared at the tanned and tattooed hand holding his, his eyes moving until they rested on Xiaodan's serene face as she slept beside his sleeping mat. The banished prince untangled his fingers from the white-haired girl and slowly pushed himself up, tossing the blankets off his body as he got to his feet. He walked past his uncle, who was sleeping in a sitting position on the other side of the sleeping, and he entered the small bathroom in the apartment.

Sighing quietly, Zuko reached into the basin of cold water and splashed his face, washing away the sweat from his fever then he looked up at the mirror. The scarred teen gasped in shock when he saw himself without his scar, no hair, and the Avatar's arrow tattoos.

"Ah!" Zuko shouted hoarsely in horror as he jerked upright, flinging the blankets off his body as he panted heavily.

Zuko exhaled heavily and brought his hand up to touch the left side of his face, his eyes closing when he felt the scarred skin beneath his fingertips.

"Zuko?"

The banished prince opened his eyes and let his hand drop into his lap as he turned his head, gold eyes meeting tired orange orbs. Xiaodan pushed herself up into a sitting position, the loose blanket Iroh must have draped over her pooling around her legs.

"Are you alright?" The white-haired girl asked in a concern and she reached out to touch his forehead, pausing when he flinched slightly.

Xiaodan let her hand drop to the ground, her brow furrowing slightly

"Do you need something to drink?" She asked then she got to her feet without waiting for a response, but before she could take a step towards the bucket of clean water, warmth encased her hand.

"I'm fine." Zuko rasped tiredly and he gently tugged her down so she was sitting next to him, "Just…Stay."

Xiaodan stared at him in concern for a moment then she nodded, shifting her hand and lacing her fingers with his as he laid back down. She reached out tentatively again, hesitating a moment, but when Zuko didn't move, Xiaodan began to lightly run her fingers through his hair. Zuko exhaled softly and his eyes drifted closed of their own accord, his tired body relaxing slowly at the soothing sensation.

* * *

"You see, Aang? A little positive thinking works wonders." Sokka quipped smugly as he sprawled out on Appa's back with his hands behind his head, "We got the king on our side, we got Long Feng arrested, Katara's gonna find Xia, and when we get back, Suki's waiting for me."

"Yeah…" Aang agreed with a dreamy smile on his face as he thought about Katara, "Girls are waiting for us. Thanks, positive attitude."

"Everything is gonna work our perfectly." Sokka continued as Appa flew over Ba Sing Se, "From now on and forever."

Aang turned around and smiled at the older boy, nodding his head in agreement.

* * *

The Dai Li agent walked down the metal hall of the prison, stopping at the last door.

"Dinner." The agent grunted as he slid a tray of food underneath the cell door where Long Feng was sitting then he straightened, "The Council of Five and the military are loyal to the Earth King, but the Dai Li remains loyal to you, Long Feng, sir."

Long Feng smirked sinisterly as the Dai Li agent walked away and he took a bite of the roll that had come with his meal.

* * *

Toph quietly walked up the steps of a nice house in the Upper Ring of the city, pausing in front of the door. The blind girl took a deep breath and knocked firmly on the door, hesitating a moment when it opened on its own.

"Hello?" Toph called out as she walked into the house, "Mom? Anyone home?"

She walked into the center of the room and frowned, then she jerked her head up and her eyes widened when she suddenly sensed something, but before she was trapped inside a metal box.

"Hey!" Toph shouted angrily, fear tinging her voice as she pounded on the walls of the metal cage, "Who do you think you're dealing with?!"

Xin Fu and Master Yu dropped down from where they had been hiding in the rafters of the house and the wrestler stalked forward.

"One loud-mouthed little brat who strayed too far from home." Xin Fu growled in reply.

* * *

"In our hour of need, it is with the highest honor that I welcome our esteemed allies, the Kyoshi Warriors!" King Kuei said as the three female warriors walked between the two rows of guards towards the king, who was standing at the base of the palace steps.

The three girls kneeled before the king and bowed their heads then looked up.

Azula, disguised as the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors smirked up at the king, while Mai and Ty Lee kneeled at her sides.

"We are the Earth King's humble servants."

* * *

**Author's Note: Wow, I kinda expected this chapter to be longer, but oh well. Anyhooties, little bits of Zukia/Xiabug fluff in this chapter, which I hope you guys enjoyed. Next chapter should be pretty interested since we're getting even closer to the climatic finish of Season 2, also I'll be exploring Zuko's and Xia's blossoming relationship a little more in the next chapter as well, so stay tuned for that! Next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 19: The Guru and I'll try to post it on the Saturday.**

**PS – The lovely reviewer Becky drew an awesome picture of Xia, which y'all can find the link to on my profile page, so if you want a good idea of what Xiaodan looks like in her Air Nomad clothes, go check it out! :] **

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are freaking awesome-sauce!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Molly Grace 16: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the Zukia fluff in the last chapter! All the cuteness will definitely make Zuko's betrayal a helluva lot more painful for Xia, plus with everything else that's gonna go down, she'll have quite a bit to think about during her own little chapter after the Crossroads of Destiny. Yeah, I know what you mean, it really sucked that they killed Jet off just when he was starting to sort himself out. At the moment, I'm not really sure if he'll stay dead in my story or not, I haven't decided yet. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Luna WhiteWolf: T**hanks, I'm glad you liked all the fluffiness in the last chapter and I hope it makes up for the less fluffiness in this one. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**LadyAmazon: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you like this one too!

**FoShizzleMySizzle: **Haha, thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Out of all of my stories, this one has the longest chapters. It does take a little bit of work going back and forth between the episodes and rewriting them in my own way and the AtLA wikia website is a great help too since it has episode transcripts which make writing dialogue easier. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**xRoosiee: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I'm sorry there's not a lot of Zukia fluff in this chapter, I'll try to have more in the next one! Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**NameWithNoMeaning: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the Zukia fluff in the last chapter! Haha, I should have my Hiei/OC story posted sometime either this week or the next, I'm almost finished with the first chapter, I just need to come up with a title for the actual story. Anyhooties, I hope you like chapter!

**Becky: **Haha, yeah, I'm trying to update at least every other day right now, since it takes me about two days to write up a chapter. Yeah, unfortunately for the GAang and Xia, their reunion isn't going to be as nice as they all hoped it would be. Ah, originally I was gonna have Xia be with Iroh when he confronted Zuko in Appa's cell, but I decided to change it at the last minute, I guess I clean up that part as well as I thought, I'll go back and fix it so there isn't any more confusion. She definitely hasn't forgotten about Aang, I'm going to have her look for him in the city in the next chapter and I'll be exploring hers and Zuko's blooming relationship at the same time. Poor Xia's gonna be real busy in the next chapter. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Pickle the chicken: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you like this one too!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Thanks! Don't worry, the GAang and Xia will be getting back together soon I promise. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**LiveOutLoud143: H**aha, it's great, huh? Another reviewer suggested it near the beginning of the story and it stuck. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and that you thought it was cute. Oh, don't worry, I plan on making _that_ particular chapter rather dramatic and intense, I just hope I actually succeed with that plan. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Inigo Montaya: **Okay, it's kinda driving me nuts, but your username, is it a reference to Inigo Montoya from the Princess Bride? If it is, then it's awesome, if not, well it's still awesome! Anyhooties, onto the actual reply to your review; I loved that part of the episode, it cracked me up with how weird people in AtLA think non-hybrid animals are. Heehee, you'll be seeing the dual-bender in Xia very soon. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!

**JadiexGurl: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you like this one too!

**Jazzy: **Haha, one more chapter and then you won't have to wait anymore! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and all the Zukia fluff in it! Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!


	40. Chapter 40: The Guru

**Chapter 40 takes place during Season 2 Episode 19: The Guru. Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

* * *

Zuko yawned as he walked out of his room and into the main room of the new apartment he shared with Xiaodan and his uncle. He caught sight of Xiaodan sitting at the small table near the window, sipping quietly from a bowl while she looked out the window with a small smile on her tattooed face.

"What's the smell?" Zuko asked curiously, rubbing at his eyes as he walked over to his uncle, who was standing in front of the stove and stirring a pot of pasty, white liquid.

Iroh glanced over at his nephew as he stirred the thick white liquid, "It's jook. I'm sure you wouldn't like it."

The former Fire Nation general took a step to the side when Zuko moved to stand in front of the stove, sniffing deeply.

"Actually, it smells delicious." Zuko complimented as he straightened and grabbed one of the bowls from the counter and he held it up, "I'd love a bowl, Uncle."

Iroh stared at him strangely for a moment then ladled a spoonful of the jook into Zuko's bowl, "Now that your fever is gone, you seem different somehow."

"It's a new day. We've got a new apartment, new furniture, and today's the grand opening of your new teashop." Zuko replied with uncharacteristic optimism as he walked over to the table, pressing an affectionate kiss to Xiaodan's cheek before he sat down beside her.

The white-haired jerked her head around to stare at the smiling prince with wide orange eyes, the surprise kiss on the cheek having effectively snapped her out her daydreaming. She eyed him curiously as he smiled at her then he looked out the window, placing his hand on hers on top of the table.

"Things are looking up, Uncle." Zuko said lightly and he took a sip of the rice porridge in his bowl, Xiaodan's hand still clasped gently in his.

Xiaodan glanced at Iroh with a quirked brow, but the older man just shrugged one shoulder and smiled softly at his nephew before turning back to the pot on the stove. The white-haired girl looked at Zuko again, blushing slightly when he caught her eye and smiled at her. She coughed quietly and ducked her head, hiding her small smile behind her bowl of rice porridge.

* * *

Xiaodan quirked a brow and looked up at Zuko curiously when he took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together as they followed Iroh out of their apartment and towards Iroh's new teashop.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright, Firebug?" She asked with a wry smile of bemusement.

Zuko smiled down at her briefly before looking forward again, "I'm fine, Xia. Why do you ask?"

The white-haired Airbender held up their joined hands and quirked a brow at him, "You're…more affectionate, I suppose…"

"Is that a bad thing?" The scarred teen asked, his own brow quirking upward as smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Well, no, not necessarily. I mean, it's fine, a little strange, but fine. I don't mind if you want to hold hands or do other coupley thin-"

Zuko got her off mid-ramble with a soft, chaste kiss, his hands coming up to cup her face. Xiaodan blinked in surprise for a moment then her eyes drifted shut and she kissed him back warmly, lifting her hands up to rest on his shoulders. Zuko pulled away first and gave her a half smile as he watched her eyes flutter open, the orange orbs looking slightly dazed. He gently brushed a stray strand of her white hair out of her face, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead before taking her hand back in his and leading her through the street after his uncle, who had stopped a few feet ahead of them.

Iroh quickly turned around and began whistling innocently when the two teens approached, his hands clasped behind his back as he continued walking towards his new teashop, winking slyly at the female Airbender.

Xiaodan coughed and ducked her head to hide the blush that heated up her cheeks, an almost shy smile spreading across her face. Zuko glanced down at the white-haired girl from the corner of his eye and he smiled faintly before looking ahead of him again, her hand remaining clasped with his as they walked.

Xiaodan glanced up at Zuko briefly then looked back at the ground, her smile slowly disappearing as her thoughts drifted to her brother. Guilt filled her mind and made her heart heavy as she wondered where he was and how he was doing and if he missed her as much as she was missing him. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind, trusting Zuko to lead her through the morning crowd as she temporarily retreated deep into the recesses of her mind, searching for the link that kept her and Aang connected and allowed her to find him when they were younger when they had been separated. The connection was faint, signaling to her that Aang was a great distance away from her and probably no longer in Ba Sing Se.

The female Airbender exhaled quietly and slowly opened her eyes as her thoughts drifted to where her brother could possibly be and how she was going to be able to reunite with him without hurting Zuko and Iroh in the process. She was pulled from her conflicting thoughts when Zuko stopped and she nearly ran into him, his quick reflexes keeping them both from tumbling to the ground in an undignified heap.

"Careful." Zuko chided her in an almost playful tone, taking a step back when she righted herself.

"Thanks." Xiaodan said with sheepish smile as she straightened her tunic, "I was miles away…"

Zuko gave her an amused half-smile then nodded towards the elegant building they had stopped in front of, "We're here."

Xiaodan looked up at the building and smiled then she turned to look at Iroh, who was staring at the building with starry eyes.

"Welcome to your new teashop, Iroh."

* * *

Aang and Sokka looked over at the Water Tribe camp where Sokka's father, Hakoda was supposed to be as Appa flew towards it. Aang landed the sky bison on a ledge protruding from a cliff that led to the beach where the camp was set up.

"You haven't seen you in over two years." Aang commented as he smiled over at Sokka, "You must be so excited!"

"I know I should be, but, I just feel sick to my stomach." Sokka replied weakly and he clutched at his stomach with a small groan.

"Don't be nervous. He's going to be so happy to see you!" Aang said and he put his hand on Sokka's shoulder, smiling at him reassuringly.

Sokka smiled weakly back, "So what about you? Are you nervous to meet this guru?"

"Not at all. I'm ready to master the Avatar State. I'll do whatever it takes." Aang responded confidently with a determined expression then he smiled again when Sokka jumped off Appa's head, "See you in a week. Yip-yip!"

Appa rumbled lowly and jumped into the air, leaving Sokka on the ledge. Sokka watched as the two disappeared then he took a deep breath and began to trek towards the camp.

He arrived at the camp after several minutes and he rubbed at his arm nervously as he walked through the camp, the other warriors staring at him in surprise. A man suddenly stepped out in front of him and Sokka jerked to a stop, blinking up at the man in surprise. The man lifted his arm and Sokka grinned as he grabbed the man's forearm in greeting, the man laughing heartily as he clasped Sokka's forearm in return.

"Sokka, good to see you." Another warrior called out as he came up behind Sokka and roughly rubbed his head, pushing him down slightly.

Sokka huffed and quickly straightened, grinning proudly when the man jokingly began comparing their height. The young Water Tribe warrior smiled at the men then looked towards the larger tent at the end of the camp. The older warriors smiled as they moved to the side to allow him to walk towards the tent, watching him proudly.

Sokka stopped just outside the tent and took a deep breath then he reached out and pulled on of the tent flaps aside, revealing his father bent over a map with Bato sitting beside him and several other warriors sitting throughout the tent. Bato glanced up and smiled then he nudged Hakoda with his scarred arm, prompting his friend too look up curiously just as Sokka stepped fully into the tent, the flap closing behind him.

Hakoda looked over at his son and smiled happily, "Sokka."

"Hi, Dad." Sokka replied with a small smile.

Hakoda stood and strode over to his son, embracing him warmly. Sokka smiled and hugged his father back tightly, wishing Katara was with them as well.

* * *

"Look Bosco!" King Kuei exclaimed with a smile as he rubbed his bear's face, the three girls he believed to be Kyoshi Warriors kneeling in front of the dais his throne rested on, "The Kyoshi Warriors are here to protect us! Aren't you excited?"

The bear yawned, resting his head on the arm of the throne and King Kuei smiled as he turned to look at the three girls.

"It's been a difficult week for me." The king said with a small apologetic smile, "My most trusted advisor, Long Feng, and his Dai Li agents tried to take control of Ba Sing Se from me."

"It's terrible when you can't trust the people who are closest to you." Azula, still disguised as the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors commented lightly.

"But there is good news." King Kuei replied as he petted Bosco's head, "As we speak, the Council of Fire is meeting to plan an invasion of the Fire Nation this summer, on the day of a solar eclipse."

Azula's eyes widened in shock and worry for a moment, but she quickly masked her expression and smirked slightly.

"Really?" She asked slowly, the disguised Mai and Ty Lee exchanging glances behind her, "Now that sounds like a fascinating and brilliant plan."

* * *

"General Fong's base will serve as the launching point for the attack." General How explained to Katara as he and the other five generals sat in the meeting room, a large map with several stone pieces on it in front of them, "In exactly two months, the army and navy will invade the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun."

The leader of the Council of Five Earthbended several green stone pieces with the Earth Kingdom symbol on top of them over to the Fire Nation continent, where a red stone piece with the Fire Nation insignia on top of it. Momo suddenly leapt off Katara's shoulder and onto the map and he began to knock over the pieces, hissing and chittering at them.

"Or we could send in Momo to do some damage. 'Cause, the…" Katara joked with a chuckle then she trailed off and looked off to the side sheepishly at the blank looks on the generals' faces, "Sorry."

General How Earthbended the pieces back up, scaring Momo and causing the lemur to hiss and fly back over to Katara's shoulder.

"All we need is the Earth King's seal in order to execute the plan." General How stated then he Earthbended a cube of rock that had the scroll on it over to Katara.

"I'll get these scrolls to him right away." Katara said as she stood and grabbed the scroll then she bowed to General How, "Thank you, General How."

* * *

Aang looked around the misty mountains of the Eastern Air Temple with a slight sadness, unable to prevent himself from remembering the last time he and Xiaodan had been there when they were younger. He sighed quietly then furrowed his brows when he saw a man meditating on a stone platform that was connected to the main pagoda of the temple by a bridge. Aang landed Appa on the mountain the platform was on and looked up at the meditating man curiously.

"Uhhh…Hello? You're Guru Pathik, right?" Aang questioned as he walked up the steps to the top of the platform and approached the man, "The person who attached the note to Appa's horn?"

"Indeed." Pathik confirmed calmly as he opened his eyes and regarded the young boy standing in front of him, "I was a spiritual brother of your people, and a personal friend of Monk Gyatso."

Aang gave him a surprised look then sat down cross-legged in front of the guru, "In your note, you said you could teach me how to gain control of the Avatar State. How?"

"You must gain balance within yourself, before you can bring balance to the world. And the first step to gaining balance begins with this." Pathik said and he handed Aang a wooden bowl of yellowish liquid, "Drink up!"

Aang looked at him with a quirked brow then he looked down at the liquid before taking a sip. A moment later, Aang gagged and spat the liquid out, looking at the bowl in disgust as the yellow concoction covered his mouth.

"Uggh! It takes likes onion and banana juice!"

"That's because it is!" Pathik quipped and he downed his own bowl of the juice then he held the empty bowl over his head with a smile, "Yum, yum!"

Aang stared at the guru dumbly and he blinked slowly, briefly wondering how Xia would have reacted to the strange guru. He imagined she would have laughed uproariously.

* * *

"I believe we need to go right!" Master Yu exclaimed and he gestured towards the right with his arm as Xin Fu steered the ostrich-horse drawn cart that was holding the metal box they had trapped Toph inside.

"What are you talking about?" Xin Fu demanded angrily and he pointed at the road in front of them, "The Beifong Estate's this way!"

Toph began banging on the metal box loudly, "Hey! Can you two old ladies quit your bickering for a second? I got to go the bathroom!"

"Oooh…" Master Yu mumbled uncomfortably, "Uh, okay, but make it quick!"

He stood up with the key in hand, but Xin Fu suddenly grabbed his arm and yanked him back into his seat.

"What's wrong with you?" The burly Earthbender snapped in annoyance.

Yu gave him a confused look before realization dawned on him and he waved the key at the metal box, "Ooh, very sneaky Toph! Nice try, but you can't trick me!"

Toph snarled and banged on the metal walls of the box, "Let me out of here so I can kick both your butts!"

"Quit your banging!" Xin Fu shouted in annoyance and he hit the metal box roughly before turning back around and snapping the reins, "You may think you're the greatest Earthbender in the whole world, but even you can't bend metal!"

Toph scowled darkly before her expression became sand and she placed her hand flat against the side of the metal box, her head bowed.

* * *

Ty Lee hummed quietly as she sat in front of the large mirror in the house she, Mai, and Azula had been given when they arrived in Ba Sing Se, removing the makeup from her face while Mai did the same thing beside her.

"We have been presented with an extraordinary opportunity, girls." Azula stated with smirk as she walked towards the large window, her face already clean of makeup and her hands clasped primly behind her back.

"Mai finally gets to wear makeup that's not totally depressing?" Ty Lee quipped, giggling when Mai turned to glare at her, black makeup dripping down her eyes.

"Ha, ha." Mai retorted sarcastically and she turned back to finish wiping the makeup off.

"I'm talking about conquering the whole Earth Kingdom." Azula snapped back drily as she came to a stop in front of the window, her gold eyes sinister as she looked out at the city of Ba Sing Se, "For one hundred years, the Fire Nation has hammered away at Ba Sing Se from the outside. But now we're on the inside, and we can take it by ourselves."

Ty Lee and Mai stared at her in surprise then Ty Lee smiled.

"Gosh, you're so confident." Ty Lee commented cheerfully, "I really admire that about you."

"From the inside, we're in perfect position to organize a coup and overthrow the Earth King. The key is the Dai Li." Azula stated with a smirk and she turned around to face her two friends again, "Whoever controls the Dai Li controls Ba Sing Se."

* * *

Pathik led Aang to a creek that was located between two of the three mountains the pagodas of the Eastern Air Temple resided on, the moon easily visible in the space between the mountains behind them.

"In order to master the Avatar State, you must open all the chakras." Pathik explained and he turned to look at Aang with a small smile, "Aang, tell me everything you know about chakras."

Aang rubbed his eyes tiredly, "What are chakras?"

Pathik gave him a deadpanned expression and he sighed.

"Oh, I see. I guess we'll start with the basics." Pathik stated and he kneeled beside one of the pools that formed the creek, pointing at the moss within the pool with a stick as he explained, "The water flows through this creek, much like energy flows through your body. As you see, there are several pools where the water swirls around before flowing on. These pools are like our chakras."

"So…Chakras are pools of spiraling energy in our bodies?" Aang asked slowly as he came to stand beside the guru, looking at the moss-filled pool curiously.

"Exactly." Pathik praised with a nod and smile, "If nothing else were around, this creek would flow pure and clear. However, life is messy, and things tend to fall in the creek. And then what happens?"

"The creek can't flow?"

"Yes. But if we open the ponds between the pools." Pathik trailed off as he removed the clump of moss blocking the exit for the water.

"The energy flows!" Aang exclaimed eagerly and Pathik nodded at him with a smile before leading him to a different part of the temple.

* * *

"There are seven chakras that go up the body. Each pool of energy has a purpose, and can be blocked by a specific kind of emotional muck." Pathik explained sagely as he sat across from Aang on a flat rock in a cavern deep within one of the mountains and he gave Aang a serious look, "Be warned, opening the chakras is an intense experience, and once you begin the process, you cannot stop until all seven are open. Are you ready?"

Aang looked down at his lap for a moment then looked up at the guru with a determined expression, "I'll do whatever it takes."

"First we will open the Earth Chakra, located at the base of the spine. It deals with survival, and is blocked by fear. What are you most afraid of?"

Aang closed his eyes and immediately his mind was assaulted by what he was afraid of most.

'_The Blue Spirit charged him, his swords flashing dangerously in the fire light. The cold blades pressing against his neck. Katara and Xiaodan disappearing beneath the ground at General Fong's outpost and he wasn't able to save them in time, triggering the Avatar State._

**"_Let your fears become clear to you…"_**

_The silhouette of the Fire Lord flashed briefly across his mind before being replaced by Sozin's Comet. The comet disappeared and was replaced by an image of himself in the Avatar State again then an image of him when he was in the Avatar State and he had merged with La at the North Pole, destroying the Fire Nation ships. Another flash of the Fire Lord's silhouette followed by Sozin's Comet and Aang gritted his teeth, his brow furrowing in concentration._

_Aang opened his eyes and screamed in fear, recoiling from the silhouette of the Fire Lord as he stood on the outside of the ring of flames that surrounded Aang._

"_Ahh!" Aang screamed again and he closed his eyes tightly._

**"_Aang, your vision is not real. You are concerned for your survival, but you must surrender those fears. Let your fears flow down the creek."_**

_Guru Pathik's voice sounded far away as he spoke calmly, but Aang could hear him easily…'_

Aang straightened and took a deep breath, opening his eyes slowly and almost immediately the image of the Fire Lord disappeared, being replaced by Pathik.

"You have opened your Earth Chakra!"

Aang exhaled in relief and wiped the sweat from his brow, then he grinned at the guru. Pathik smiled and stood up, leading Aang to part of the cavern that opened up behind a large waterfall, the sky gray with the predawn.

"Next is the…"

"Water Chakra?" Aang asked as he glanced over at the surging waterfall to the left of the flat rock he and the guru were sitting cross-legged on.

"Brilliant! Maybe one day you will be a guru too!" Pathik exclaimed teasingly with a smile before he continued his teachings, "This chakra deals with pleasure and is blocked by guilt. Now look at all the guilt that burdens you so. What do you blame yourself for?"

Aang closed his eyes, the memory of him and Xia running away from the Southern Air Temple flashing across his mind.

"I ran away." He said quietly and his brow furrowed as he remembered the destruction he caused at General Fong's base when he was in the Avatar State, "I hurt all those people."

"Accept the reality that these things happened, but do not let them cloud and poison your energy." Pathik said calmly, "If you are to be a positive influence on the world, you need to forgive yourself."

Aang inhaled deeply then exhaled slowly as he worked on doing what Pathik told him to.

* * *

"This bay leads directly to the outskirts of Ba Sing Se." Hakoda explained as he kneeled beside a large bamboo and animal skin mine while Bato poured a thick sludge into it, "We've been using these tangle minds to stop the Fire Nation ships from getting through."

"Your father invented tangles mines himself." Bato stated as he finished filling the mine and moved onto fill another one.

"Destructive. Buoyant. And…" Sokka paused to sniff at the opening of the mine, recoiling instantly at the foul smell, "Aggh, eehh! Terrible smelling!"

"Very perceptive." Hakoda quipped in amusement as he put the cork in the mine, using his machete to clean the excess sludge that had seeped out, "The mines are filled with skunk-fish and seaweed. When a ship detonates the mine, the seaweed tangles up the propeller and the foul smell forces people to abandon ship. I call it the 'stink and sink.'"

Sokka laughed loudly, "Good one, Dad!"

Bato rolled his eyes with an unamused expression as he filled another mine and he muttered to himself, "You're definitely your father's son."

"Hakoda!" One of the warriors called out as he ran towards the Tribe's leader, "Our scouts have spotted four Fire Nation ships!"

"Bato, get these mines loaded up!" Hakoda ordered as he got to his feet, "The rest of you men, prepare for battle!"

Sokka watched with a despondent expression as the other warriors raced off to do as Hakoda ordered then he looked up at his father.

"Uh…What should I do, Dad?"

"Aren't you listening?" Hakoda asked sternly, "I said, 'The rest of you men, get ready for battle.'"

Sokka smiled and quickly jumped to his feet, racing after the older warriors. Hakoda smiled faintly as he watched his son, then he looked towards the ocean with narrow blue eyes.

* * *

Iroh smiled proudly as he stood at the back of his teashop with Zuko and Xiaodan on either side of him, observing the chattering customers happily.

"Who thought when we came to this city as refugees, that I'd end up owning my own teashop?" Iroh stated with a contented sigh, "Follow you passion Zuko, Xia, and life will reward you."

Xiaodan smiled and huffed the older man, pressing a kiss to his cheek lined cheek, "Congratulation, Iroh."

"Yes," Zuko agreed with a smile, "Congratulation, Uncle."

Xiaodan stepped back from Iroh and clasped her hands in front of her as she turned to look at the front of the shop again.

"I am very thankful." Iroh stated as he closed his eyes, a small smile on his face.

"You deserve it." Zuko commented as he looked at his uncle with his own smile, "The Jasmine Dragon will be the best teashop in the city."

"No." Iroh replied with a small shake of his head, "I'm thankful because you decided to share this special day with me. It means more than you know."

Xiaodan smiled when Zuko embraced his uncle warmly and she slipped past the two, heading to the tea-making room at the back of the shop.

"Now, let's make these people some tea!" Zuko suggested with an almost unusual amount of excitement and he followed Xiaodan to the back.

"Yes," Iroh agreed with an excited smile and he hurried after the two teens, "Let's make some tea!"

Xiaodan laughed lightly at the two and shook her head good-naturedly, though her thoughts on Aang were still swirling through her mind, she did her best to focus on the present.

* * *

"Third is the Fire Chakra," Pathik stated as he sat cross-legged on a ledge with Aang as the sun began to rise in front of them, "Located in the stomach."

Aang held his stomach and grimaced, "My Fire Chakra would like to eat something other than onion-banana juice."

"Good one!" Pathik chuckled then he turned serious again, "Moving on. This chakra deals with willpower, and is blocked by shame. What are you ashamed of?"

Aang closed his eyes and winced when the memory of the first time he attempted to Firebend appeared in his mind. He remembered burning Katara's hands and the terrified look on Xiaodan's face as she stared up at him from where she had fallen on the ground.

"What are your biggest disappointments in yourself?"

Aang furrowed his brow, "I'm never going to Firebend again. I can't."

"You will never find balance if you deny this part of your life." Pathik stated wisely as he glanced over at the young Airbender, "You are the Avatar and therefore, you are a Firebender."

Aang took a deep breath then exhaled slowly and Pathik stared at him in mild surprise.

"Hmm…That chakra opened less like flowing creek, and more like a…burping bison."

Aang suddenly belched loudly then he smacked his lips, "Tastes like onions and bananas, but strangely something else. Pickles?"

Pathik looked at him then shrugged one shoulder in reply.

* * *

Two Dai Li agents stealthily scaled down two pillars outside of the Earth King's palace, both of them spying on two of the girls dressed as Kyoshi warriors.

"I'm tired of wearing this girly disguise." Mai sighed in annoyance, tugging on the skirt of the dress she was wearing as she lounged on the palace stairs, "I don't know how anyone could fight in this."

"Maybe that's why it was so easy to beat the Kyoshi Warriors and take their clothes." Ty Lee commented lightly as she practiced her chi-blocking moves and acrobatics near Mai.

"How much longer do we have to serve the Earth King?" Mai faintly whine and she grimaced, "If I have to clean up one more pile of bear poop, I'm going to throw up."

"Princess Azula promised we would go back to the Fire Nation as soon as we captured the Avatar." Ty Lee replied thoughtlessly as she shifted into a backbend and she stared up at the now upside down Mai, "We just have to be patient."

Mai got to her feet and gave Ty Lee a stern look, "Shush up! Do you want the whole palace to know we're Fire Nation?"

Ty Lee instantly straightened and gave the other girl a sheepish look, "Sorry."

The two Dai Li agents smiled and climbed back up the pillars to report to Long Feng. A moment later, Azula stepped out behind the pillar behind the ones the agents had been clinging to and she walked up to her two friends.

"Good work, girls." The Fire Nation princess praised with a smirk, "I'm sure the Dai Li will deliver the message."

* * *

"The fourth chakra is located in the heart." Pathik explained after he had led Aang to large, crumbling stone pagoda on one of the mountains that had statues of other Airbenders on either side of it, "It deals with love and is blocked by grief."

Aang smiled faintly as he looked up at one of the statues of a female Airbender before he looked away sadly.

"Lay all your grief out in front of you."

Aang closed his eyes, touching his fingers to his, and immediately the image of the other monks and nuns filled his mind, including Yangchen and Gyatso. He smiled when he saw them then his expression became dismayed as they began to vanish into smoke.

"You have indeed felt great loss." The guru commented quietly and the image in Aang's mind changed, showing the other Airbenders floating in the clouds, this time with Xiaodan standing beside monk Gyatso, a serene smile on her face and he stretched his hand out to them desperately.

"But love is a form of energy, and it swirls around us."

Aang saw himself being lifted into the air in his mind's eye and he saw Xiaodan and the other Air Nomads floating in the smoky clouds. He watched as Xiaodan floated to him with her hand outstretched and Aang's mental image of himself reached out, grasping her tattooed hand in his.

"The Air Nomads' love for you has not left this world. Just as the young Xiaodan's love will always be with you, even when she is not." Guru Pathik said, his voice faint to Aang's ears as he focused on the image in his mind, "It is still inside of your heart, and is reborn in the form of new love."

Aang smiled slightly as the Xiaodan in his mind touched his cheek gently before disappearing into a cloud of smoke with the rest of the Air Nomads, the smoke forming a face then showing the first thing he saw upon waking up from the iceberg. His smile widened as he remembered Katara's face and tears of joy started trailing down his cheeks.

"Let the pain flow away." Pathik instructed and Aang opened his eyes, wiping the tears from his face with a small smile, "Very good."

Aang sniffled and gave the guru a watery smile, "Can I have some more onion-banana juice, please?"

Pathik smiled at him.

* * *

Xiaodan bit her lip slightly as she prepared the tea in the back of the Jasmine Dragon beside Zuko, while Iroh busily served the customer.

"Hey, Firebug?"

"Hmm?"

The white-haired Airbender glanced over at him then looked down at the water she was currently boiling, "What exactly is this?"

Zuko turned his head towards and gave her a confused look, "It's pot of water…"

"I know what _that_ is, you annoying little glowbug." Xiaodan muttered without venom as she rolled her eyes then she turned to face him and gestured between them, "I mean what is _this_, between you and me?"

The scarred teen turned and leaned his hip against the counter beside the stove where the water was boiling, his arms crossing over his chest as he stared at her with a thoughtful frown.

"Well, you care about me, right?" He asked slowly, quirking a brow at her.

"Uh, yeah." Xiaodan replied and she rubbed the back of her head as she blushed faintly, "I thought that was pretty obvious when I kissed you the first time…"

Zuko smiled and he took her hands in his, turning them over and observing the differences. Hers were slightly smaller and her skin darker than his own, but of their hands were calloused, his from using swords and hers from her staff. Xiaodan bit her lip slightly and glanced up at him shyly then looked down at their hands again. Neither noticed the way the fire under the water briefly flared up and turned white before returning to normal a moment later.

"And I care about you." The former Fire Nation prince continued quietly as he glanced up at her carefully, ignoring the blush he could feel heating his cheeks, "I guess that could make me your boyfriend and you mine girlfriend…If that's what you want."

Xiaodan stared at their hands for several moments quiet then she licked her dry lips and peered up at him from under her bangs again.

"I…" She paused then cleared her throat, her voice stronger but still quiet, "I'd like that."

Zuko smiled and ducked his head, pecking her quickly on the lips then moving around her to take the boiling water off the stove just as his uncle entered the backroom. Xiaodan flushed brightly at the knowing look the former Fire Nation general gave her and she spun on her heel, taking the tray of finished tea and tilted her chin up in an almost defiant manner as she walked past Iroh and into the main room.

Iroh chuckled lowly and patted his nephew on the shoulder, "I am happy for you, my nephew. Xiaodan is a great young lady."

Zuko cleared his throat awkwardly, but there was a smile tugging at his lips, "Yeah, she really is, Uncle."

Iroh chuckled again as he watched his nephew leave the backroom and he sighed happily, "Ah, young love…"

* * *

"The fifth in the chain is the Sound Chakra, located in the throat." Pathik stated after he had led Aang to large, destroyed chamber with a massive stone statue of one of the previous Avatar, Yangchen, sitting in the lotus position with her fists pressed together, "It deals with truth and is blocked by lies. The ones we tell ourselves."

Aang's mind flashed back to when he, Xiaodan, Katara and Sokka had begun their journey to the North Pole so many months ago.

"_Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?" Katara asked gently as she looked at Aang._

"Because I never wanted to be." Aang stated quietly, repeating the words he had said that day.

"You cannot lie about your own nature." Pathik said wisely, "You must accept that you are the Avatar."

Aang inhaled deeply and suddenly he pictured himself standing on a cliff looking down at the ground with his staff held behind him then he exhaled, accepting his nature. He opened his eyes slowly and Pathik smiled at him.

"Very good, Aang." The guru praised him, "You have opened the chakra of truth."

* * *

Pathik lead him outside of the chamber and they sat on the stone steps, facing the midday sun as it shown brightly in the sky.

"The sixth pool of energy is the light chakra, located in the center of the forehead. It deals with insight and is blocked by illusion." Pathik said slowly and he looked over at Aang with a serious expression, "The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one in the same."

"Like the four nations."

"Yes." Pathik agreed with a nod, "We are all open people, but we live as if divided."

Aang slowly opened his eyes and smiled slightly, "We're all connected. Everything is connected."

"That's right!" Pathik exclaimed happily, "Even the separation of the elements is an illusion. If you open your mind, you will see that all the elements are one. Four parts of the same whole. Even metal is just a part of earth which has been purified and refined."

* * *

Toph breathed deeply as she slammed her feet and her hands against her metal cage, feeling around with her seismic sense. She exhaled and stomped her foot and slammed her hands against the metal in front of her, smiling slowly when she felt the tiny particles of earth. The blind girl took another deep breath then exhaled as she began to push against the metal.

"Come on, metal. Budge!" She gritted out and she punched the metal wall, leaving a huge dent then she pulled her shook her hand in slight pain, "Whoo! Toph, you rule!"

Toph smirked and she punched the metal wall again.

* * *

Katara smiled slightly as she walked to the new teashop that had just opened in the Upper Ring, Momo on her shoulder and the scroll held loosely in her hand.

"What do you say, Momo? A cup of tea before we get back to the king?" Katara asked the lemur playfully as she walked up the steps to the entrance of the teashop and she looked at the hostess, "Table for two, please."

The hostess bowed and gestured for Katara to follow her.

"Uncle! I need two jasmine, one green, and one leechi!"

"I'm brewing as fast as I can!"

Katara jerked her head around and stared wide-eyed at Zuko standing in front of a counter at the back of the teashop, his uncle in the back brewing the tea. All of the air in her lungs escaped her in a gasp and she whirled around, running away from teashop just before a familiar white-haired girl stepped appeared from around a patron.

* * *

Xiaodan glanced up as she came to the front, her eyes widening when she saw a flash of blue disappear from the entrance of the shop. Her brow furrowed and she quickly moved to the open entrance, a soft gasp leaving her when she saw Katara racing down the street away from the teashop with Momo on her shoulder.

"Katara?" Xiaodan whispered in shock and she went to take a step forward, but a warm hand touched her shoulder and she turned around, looking up into Zuko's concerned gold eyes.

"Are you alright, Xia?"

"I-" Xiaodan muttered as she glanced back down the street, but Katara was no longer in sight then she shook her head and smiled weakly at Zuko, "It's nothing, I just thought I saw something. It must have been my imagination."

Zuko looked at her skeptically, but Xiaodan kissed his cheek and walked back into the teashop before he could say anything.

"Really, it was nothing." She repeated over her shoulder with another smile and Zuko nodded slowly.

He watched her as she walked over to customer then he glance outside, his brow furrowing slightly.

* * *

"This is the last chakra isn't it?" Aang asked as he and Pathik sat across from each other at the top of the temple that night, the moon partially obscured by the clouds.

"Yes." Pathik confirmed serenely, "Once you open this chakra, you will be able to go in and out of the Avatar State at will and when you are in the Avatar State, you will have complete control and awareness of all your actions."

Aang stared determined at the guru, "Let's do this."

"The Thought Chakra is located at the crown of the head. It deals with pure cosmic energy, and is blocked by earthly attachment." Pathik explained as he closed his eyes, "Meditate on what attaches you to this world."

Aang closed his eyes and almost immediately an image of Xiaodan appeared in his mind before being replaced by images of Katara.

"Now," Pathik continued, his voice slightly faint, "Let all those attachments go. Let them flow down the river, forgotten."

"What? Why?" Aang asked, snapping out of his meditation almost immediately as he stared at the guru incredulously, "Why would I let go of Katara? I…I love her!"

Pathik opened his eyes and regarded Aang passively, "Learn to let her go, or you cannot let the pure cosmic energy flow in from the universe."

"Why would I choose cosmic energy over Katara?" Aang demanded and he threw his hands up in the air in exasperation, "How could it be a bad thing that I feel an attachment to her? Three chakras ago that was a good thing!"

"You must learn to let go."

* * *

Katara panted as she ran into the throne room of the Earth King's palace, Momo flying off her shoulder to cling to a pillar near the door.

"Thank goodness you're here, Suki!" Katara exclaimed when she saw, who she was thought was Suki and two other Kyoshi warriors sitting before the empty throne, "Something terrible is going on. The Fire Nation has infiltrated the city, I just saw Prince Zuko and his uncle! We have to tell the Earth King right away!"

"Oh, don't you worry, I'll be sure to let him know." The girl Katara thought was Suki, said as she stood and walked closer.

Katara gasped when she saw the girl in front of her had gold eyes and she brought her arm up to Waterbend the water from her canteen when she realized the three 'Kyoshi Warriors' were actually Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee.

Ty Lee suddenly jumped forward and slammed her hand down on a pressure point between Katara's neck and shoulder, blocking her ability to bend and causing her to fall to the ground.

Azula smirked as she and her friends gathered around the fallen Katara, "So, Zuzu's in the city too? I think it's time for a family reunion."

Unnoticed, Momo flew out of the chamber as fast as he could, the lemur heading straight for the place where he had caught a familiar scent.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Aang apologized quietly, "But I can't let go of Katara."

"Aang, to master the Avatar State, you must open all the chakras." Pathik said as he gestured with his hands slightly, "Surrender yourself."

Aang took a deep breath and exhaled slowly then he closed his eyes, "Okay, I'll try."

Pathik nodded, "Now think of your attachments and let them go. Let the pure cosmic energy flow."

Aang pictured himself letting Katara go, watching as she disappeared into a sky of falling stars. Suddenly, he saw himself floating above the world and a bridge appeared beneath him.

'_Aang smiled slightly as he looked down at the iridescent bridge then he looked up, his mouth falling open slightly as he saw a giant version of himself in the Avatar State floating at the end of the bridge. He took another deep breath then began walking along the bridge until he came to the manifestation of his Avatar State mastery. His arrows began to glow and Aang looked down at the arrow tattoo on his arm with a smile then he looked up as the manifestation of his Avatar State lowered itself in front of him, a ball of pure cosmic energy floating between its hands. The manifestation lowered the ball until it was surrounded Aang, and he closed his eyes. _

_Suddenly a shriek filled the air and Aang snapped his eyes open, jerking his head to the side where he saw a vision of Katara in chains. Aang looked at the image then looked down before jumping away from the manifestation, dispersing the cosmic energy sphere and causing the arrows of manifestation to slowly stop glowing as he ran towards the other end of the bridge._

_Suddenly the bridge disappeared and he screamed as he fell to the world below him..'_

"Katara's in danger!" Aang gasped as he returned to reality and he jumped to his feet, "I have to go!"

"No, Aang!" Pathik cried out in protest, stopping Aang just as he was about to jump off the top of the temple, "By choosing attachment, you have locked the chakra! If you leave now, you won't be able to go into the Avatar State at all!"

Aang hesitated but jumped from the top of the temple, then he left the Eastern Air Temple entirely with Appa, leaving Pathik to stare after him in concern.

* * *

Xin Fu and Yu were still on their way to return Toph to her family when they suddenly heard a loud noise come from the metal cage behind them. Xin Fu quickly jerked the ostrich-horse to a stop then he and Yu leapt from the front of the cart, walking around to the back.

"It's another one of her tricks!" Yu exclaimed as they stared at the giant hole in the empty cage.

"There's a giant hole in the box!" Xin Fu snarled in reply as he turned to glare at the skinnier man, "How is that a trick?!"

"It's not!" Toph suddenly shouted from behind them and they whirled around to face her, "It's the real deal."

Before either man can react, Toph slammed the two men together with two slabs of rock then she Earthbended them into the metal cage. She leapt onto the metal cage and grabbed the sides, Metalbending the cage shut on the two men then she jumped on top of the cage.

"I am the greatest Earthbender in the world!" Toph shouted proudly and she stomped on the top of the box, "And don't you two dunderheads forget it!"

The blind girl leapt off the box and began earth surfing away from them, heading back to Ba Sing Se.

* * *

"I'm going to be stuck in here forever with you, aren't I?" Xin Fu asked rhetorically from inside the metal box.

Yu hesitated a moment then spoke quietly, "I have to go to the bathroom."

Xin Fu groaned and slammed his head against the box angrily.

* * *

Hakoda smiled as he approached his son, "Ready to go knock some Fire Nation heads?"

"You don't know how much this means to me, Dad." Sokka said as he looked up at his dad with a serious expression on his face, "I'll make you proud and I'll finally prove to you what a great warrior I am."

"Sokka," Hakoda replied gently as he put his hand on his son's shoulder, "You don't have to prove anything to me. I'm already proud of you and I've always known you're a great warrior."

"Really?"

Hakoda smirked at him, "Why do you think I trusted you to look after our tribe when I left?"

Sokka grinned and Hakoda led him towards his ship. Sokka was just about to board the ship after his father when Appa suddenly landed behind him, Aang looking at him with a concerned and worried expression.

"This can't be good news." Sokka remarked in dismay as he looked at the young boy.

Sokka glanced at his father, who nodded in understanding, then Sokka ran towards Aang, climbing onto Appa's head. Aang snapped the reins and Appa jumped into the air, Sokka turning around to look at his father, who looked back at him with a proud grin.

* * *

Azula scowled at the two Dai Li agents that were leading her down a metal corridor before they led her into a cell.

"What is this about?" She demanded angrily as she looked at the man sitting calmly in front of her, "You're agents show up in the middle of the night and drag me down here? You will not treat a Kyoshi Warrior this way!"

"But you're not a Kyoshi Warrior," Long Feng commented slyly as he stood, "Are you, Prince Azula of the Fire Nation?"

Azula narrowed her eyes and stared at Long Feng suspiciously, "What do you want?"

"I want to make a deal." Long Feng replied with a smirk, "It's time that I regain control of Ba Sing Se and you have something I need."

"Oh?"

"The Earth King's trust."

"Why should I help you?" Azula demanded sharply, her brow raised challengingly at him.

"Because I can get you the Avatar." Long Feng replied matter-of-factly.

Azula smirked faintly, "I'm listening…"

Long Feng smiled back, his eyes gleaming with treachery.

* * *

Xiaodan looked up from where she was wiping down the tables as a royal messenger entered the teashop.

"A message from the Royal Palace." The messenger said and he handed Iroh a scroll then left.

Iroh opened the scroll curiously, his eyes widening with shock before he smiled widely, "I…I can't believe it!"

"What is it, Uncle?" Zuko asked as stopped sweeping and gave his uncle a curious look while Xiaodan moved to stand beside him.

"Great news!" Iroh exclaimed excitedly in reply, "We've been invited to serve tea to the Earth King!"

Xiaodan and Zuko exchanged amused looks when the older man ran to the back of the shop, most like to make a list of what teas he should prepare for the king. Zuko pressed a quick kiss to Xiaodan's lips before continuing to sweep while she went back to wiping down the tables, both of them smiling slightly.

* * *

Azula smirked maliciously as the two Dai Li agents led her out of the prison, her plans falling perfectly into place.

* * *

**Author's Note: Dun-dun-dun! Gosh, my fingers are killing me. I apologize in advance for any typos or grammar, it was late and my fingers started cramping halfway through the chapter. Did anyone else squee at the Zukia/Xiabug fluff in this chapter? Because I certain did and my sister thought I was losing what's left of my mind every time I did squeal. Oh, and if Zuko seemed OOC in this chapter, I apologize, I just imagined that he'd be more, I dunno openly affectionate with Xia after his 'metamorphosis' thing. On a side note, did anyone laugh or even snicker at the part where Guru Pathik said **_**'If you **__open your mind__**, you will see that all the elements are one.**_**' That was a completely canon sentence and an unintentional reference to the story title. XD** **Anyhooties, this is the last chapter before the climatic ending of Season 2, SQUEE! I can't wait for you guys to read the next chapter, I'm so excited—and very nervous—about posting it! Next chapter takes place during Season 2 Episode 20: The Crossroads of Destiny! SQUEE again!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are awesome-sauce!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**FoShizzleMySizzle: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you like this one too!

**Luna WhiteWolf: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the little bit of fluff in the last chapter. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter too!

**MidnightWolf191: **Thanks, I hope you like this chapter too!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **…I'm confused, others who?

**Molly Grace 16: **Thanks, I'm glad you like the last chapter! Ugh, let me tell you, this episode always throws be through a loop because of how un-Zuko-y Zuko is. He just so…perky in this episode that it's weird. I prefer angry Zuko or the Zuko from season 3 after he joins the GAang. But, since he _is_ all nice and even tempered in this episode, I also figured he'd be a little more open and affectionate towards Xia, which she thought was a little weird, but she decided to roll with it. Heehee, as for Xia getting thrown in the Catacombs or meeting Aang and the others with Iroh, well, it's a surprise. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Trodle: **Hello, new reviewer! Haha, oh yeah, Azula and Xia are definitely not going to like each other very much. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Jazzy: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Ah, the climax of the story is going to be rather…eventful, to say the least. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Becky: **You're welcome! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and you're right, it would have been a little weird if Xia found the GAang at the Lake. I'm glad it showed how Aang has become less dependent on Xia and vice versa, since she does have her own destiny, which I'm excited to say that some of that destiny is gonna be revealed in the chapter right after The Crossroads of Destiny, since that chapter is gonna focus mostly on Xia. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Inigo Montoya: **Haha, awesome, that was one of my favorite movies growing up. I actually had a male rat that I called R.O.U.S. because of how big he was. XD There was little bit of unconscious Firebending from Xia in this chapter that you can see if you squint, but there will definitely be more in the next chapter. Also there will be some hints to Xia's parentage in the chapter after the next one, which is going to be a completely non-canon chapter that focuses mostly on Xia. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Kimikokimono: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Also, thanks for pointing out that little grammar error, it wasn't intentionally at all since my computer is stupid sometimes, I went back and fixed it. As for the 'Thanks, positive attitude' bit, that was actually something Aang said near the end of the episode and I'm going to assume that he was thanking positive attitude. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Ambrosia Maestro: **Yup, I hope you liked this chapter!

**LaylaGreene: **Thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far! Haha, I'm also glad you think Zuko and Xia make a cute couple and that their relationship is so gradual, though it's blossomed quite a bit since their first encounter. XD Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!


	41. Chapter 41: The Crossroads of Destiny

**Chapter 41 takes place during Season 2 Episode 20: The Crossroads of Destiny. Various POVs as usual. Squee! So excited for this chapter! I hope y'all enjoy it too!**

* * *

Xiaodan sighed and rubbed her neck as she leaned against the back wall of the Jasmine Dragon after emptyingF the basin of dirty water. It wasn't even noon and already she'd had to wash a pile of teacups and teapots. She straightened with a quiet groan and turned to reenter the teashop when something suddenly slammed into the back of her neck and she stumbled forward, just barely keeping herself from falling by putting a hand against the wall. Rapid chittering reached her ears and Xiaodan turned her head, her orange eyes meeting the large, frightened brown eyes of a familiar lemur.

"Momo?"

Momo chittered and jumped up, flapping his wings while tugging on the collar of her tunic. The white-haired girl turned and grabbed the lemur out of the air, holding him in front of her face with a confused expression.

"Momo, what's wrong?" She asked urgently, "What happened?"

Momo hissed and chittered again, struggling against her grasp until Xiaodan let him go again. She watched as he sat on the ground in front of her and he squeaked and chattered at her while waving his arms around urgently at her.

"Alright, alright!" Xiaodan exclaimed with wide-eyes, "I'll follow you, just give me a second, okay?"

Momo chittered again and climbed up her leg, diving into her tunic. Xiaodan cradled his little body to her, frowning when she felt him begin to tremble then she walked back into the teashop, heading towards the back.

"Iroh?" Xiaodan called out softly and the older man turned to look at her with a happy smile.

"What is it Xiaodan?"

"Um…" She faltered for a moment, "I have to go do something real quick. I'm sorry, I know you asked me to come with you and Zuko to help serve tea to the Earth King, but-"

She was suddenly cut off by Momo crawling out of her tunic and onto her shoulder, impatiently tugging on her hair. Iroh's eyes widened as he recognized the Avatar's pet lemur and he looked at Xiaodan in shock then understanding.

"Go," He instructed softly, "It will be fine."

Xiaodan gave him a grateful smile and she quickly grabbed her glider from where she had stashed it in a corner of the backroom then slipped out the back entrance of the shop, biting her lip at the slight guilt she felt at leaving Zuko, even if it was just temporary.

"Alright, Momo, what did you want to show me?" She asked and Momo instantly leapt out of tunic, taking flight a moment later.

Xiaodan snapped her glider open and jumped into the air, flying after the lemur as he headed towards the Earth King's palace. Her heart suddenly felt heavy in her chest and she frowned.

* * *

"So, what kind of trouble is Katara in?" Sokka asked as Appa flew back towards Ba Sing Se.

"I don't know." Aang replied with a helpless shrug, "In my vision, I just knew she needed help."

"It would be nice if your Avatar powers could be just a little more specific from time to time." Sokka sighed and he looked at the ground below them, frowning slightly when he saw a moving mound of earth passing nearby as it headed towards the Outer Wall, "What is that?"

Aang shrugged and directed Appa towards the mound of earth, lowering Appa until they were flying alongside the earth mound. The two boys blinked in surprise hwen they saw it was Toph using Earthbending to earth surf.

"Need a ride?" Sokka called out, startling the blind girl and causing her to fall backwards off the mound of earth with a surprised shout.

Aang and Sokka cringed and glanced at each other.

* * *

"The Earth King and the Council of Five do not trust the Dai Li. They imprisoned your leader, Long Feng." Azula stated firmly as she passed pack and forth in front of the Dai Li agents in their main underground headquarters under the palace, "Soon they will turn on all of you and eliminate you. Seizing power today is a matter of life and death. This coup must be swift and decisive. The Earth King and each of the five generals must be taken out simultaneously. Long Feng has placed you in my command while we overthrow the government."

The Fire Nation princess paused in front of one of the agents, staring him down while he sweated nervously in front of her.

"If I sense any disloyalty, any hesitation, any weaknesses at all, I will snuff it out." She glared at the agent then she walked over to where Mai and Ty Lee were standing beside a table with a teapot and cups on it, "That is all."

"Nice speech, Azula." Ty Lee complimented her friend as the Dai Li agents left and she handed Azula a cup of tea, "It was pretty and poetic, but also scary in a good way."

"Yeah." Mai agreed with a small amused chuckle, "I thought you were going to make that one guy pee his pants."

"There are still a few loose ends." Azula commented and she took a sip of tea as her eyes narrowed, "The Avatar, and my brother and uncle."

* * *

Zuko smiled as and his uncle stepped out of the carriage that had brought them to the Palace and they walked towards it together.

"Many times I imagined myself here, at the threshold of the palace." Iroh commented as he held the basket of his tea supplies, "But I always thought I would be here as a conqueror. Instead, we are the Earth King's personal guests, here to serve him tea. Destiny is a funny thing."

"It sure is, Uncle." Zuko agreed with a slight smile, "I just wish Xia was here to share the moment with us."

Iroh shifted the basket to one arm and patted his nephew on the shoulder, "I know, my nephew. But she needed to do something important."

Zuko nodded in understanding and they entered the palace.

* * *

"So, how did go with the guru?" Toph asked as she, Aang, and Sokka flew towards the Palace on Appa, "Did you master the Avatar State?"

"Uh…" Aang stuttered and he looked off to the side, thinking about what Guru Pathik told him before he left.

"Aang, are you okay?" Sokka asked, pulling the younger boy out of his thoughts.

"I'm great! It went great with the guru. I completely mastered the Avatar State." Aang replied with forced cheerfulness and he laughed nervously, "Yeah…"

* * *

Xiaodan ran up the stairs of the palace, her mind whirling as she tried to figure out why there weren't any guards coming to stop her. She held her staff up defensively as she looked around, Momo chittering quietly on her shoulder as she walked inside the palace. She walked down several corridors before she rounded a corner, catching sight of a Dai Li agent that had his back turned as he walked in the opposite direction from her and she swung her staff low, knocking the agent's legs out from under him with a crescent of air. The white-haired girl ran down the hall and leapt forward, standing above the downed agent just as he rolled onto his back with her staff pressed threateningly to his throat.

"Well, hello again." Xiaodan commented in mild surprise as she looked down at the young Dai Li agent she had accosted back at Lake Laogai not to long ago and she tilted her head down to glare at him, "Where's the Water Tribe girl?"

The young Dai Li agent swallowed thickly and dropped his head against the floor, his expression defeated. Momo chittered and suddenly took off back down the hall, Xiaodan briefly glancing back at him before focusing on the Dai Li agent at her feet.

"Take me to the Water Tribe girl." She instructed lowly, her tone as threatening as she could make it, and she stepped away from the agent but she kept her staff pointed at him.

"This way." The young Dai Li agent muttered as he got to his feet and walked down the hall stiffly, the tip of Xiaodan's staff pressed against the middle of his shoulder blades.

Xiaodan frowned slightly as her heart clenched in her chest and something nagged her at the back of her mind, but she pushed both feelings away and followed after the Dai Li agents, intent on helping Katara.

* * *

Zuko sat quietly beside his uncle as he poured a cup of tea in the King's meeting room.

"What's taking so long?" The scarred teen asked warily.

"Maybe the Earth King overslept?" Iroh suggested, his brow furrowing when several Dai Li agents came into the room and stood in front and behind him and his nephew.

"Something's not right." Zuko whispered to his uncle.

Azula suddenly stepped into the room and she walked past the Dai Li agents, coming to standing in front of her brother just outside the ring of agents.

"It's tea time!"

Zuko jumped to his feet in surprise and anger, "Azula!"

"Have you met the Dai Li?" Azula asked lightly as she smirked, "They're Earthbenders, but they have a killer instinct that's _so_ Firebender. I just love it."

Iroh calmly picked up his cup of tea, "Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname 'the Dragon of the West'?"

Azula rolled her eyes at her uncle, "I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote, Uncle."

"It's more of a demonstration, really." Iroh replied and he took a sip of the tea

Zuko glanced over at his uncle in surprise then he smirked slightly and spun behind Iroh, just as the older man jumped to his feet and began breathing fire, scattering the Dai Li agents. Zuko quickly ran and kicked a fire blast at the wall, blasting a hole in it as Iroh continued to breathe fire as he walked backwards, then he ran down the hallway after his nephew.

Iroh ran in front of Zuko and threw his hand out, blasting another hole in the wall at the end of the corridor with a lightning bolt then he jumped out of the hole, landing in the bushes below.

"Come on!" Iroh shouted up when he saw Zuko had stopped at the edge of the hole, "You'll be fine!"

"No! I'm tired of running!" Zuko shouted back and he turned slightly to glare down the hall with a determined expression, "It's time I faced Azula."

Iroh smacked his head in exasperation as his nephew turned and walked back down the hall, then he quickly ran away to get some help.

"You're _so_ dramatic." Azula sighed mockingly as she stopped between several Dai Li agents in front of her brother, "What? Are you going to challenge me to an Agni Kai?"

"Yes!" Zuko snapped back and he shifted into a bending stance, "I challenge you!"

"No, thanks." Azula replied haughtily and she smirked at her brother.

Zuko growled and shot a fire blast at her, but two Dai Li agents intervened and deflected the blast by pulling up a section of the floor, creating a wall. The agents dropped the wall then shot their rock gloves at Zuko's feet, causing him to lose his balance and place one hand on the ground, which was quickly trapped by another rock glove. Azula smiled cruelly at her brother and turned around as the Dai Li agents captured him.

* * *

"Katara's fine." King Kuei said with a smile as he sat in his throne in front of Aang, Sokka, and Toph, "You have nothing to worry about."

Aang frowned and looked down slightly, "But, in my vision, I felt so sure she was in trouble."

"Well, she met with the Council of Generals to plan the invasion, and since then, she's been off with your friends, the Kyoshi Warriors."

"See, Aang." Sokka said and he smiled reassuringly at Aang, "She's with Suki. They're probably back at the apartment right now talking about makeup or something."

"Okay…" Aang agreed hesitantly, still unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong, "Maybe your right."

"Believe me, if there was any danger at all, Bosco's animal instincts would sense it." King Kuei said with a grin and Bosco lifted his head up, yawning widely at the three.

* * *

Katara scowled as she paced back and forth inside the Crystal Catacombs, stopping a moment later when she heard the hole above her open up.

"You've got company." A Dai Li agent stated then he threw someone down the hole and the person rolled forward until he landed in front of Katara.

"Zuko!" Katara gasped and her eyes widened in shock before they narrowed in anger when the scarred teen looked up at her just as the hole closed above them.

* * *

Aang landed Appa in front of their house, the side Toph had destroyed still being repaired and they jumped off Appa, running inside to see if Katara was there.

"Momo!" Aang said in surprise as the lemur ran up to him with a chatter and he climbed onto Aang's shoulder.

Toph took a few steps forward and turned her head from side to side, "There's no one else here."

"Katara _is_ in trouble!" Aang exclaimed, "I knew it!"

"Oh, no!" Sokka gasped in dismay.

"Wait! Someone's at the door." Toph snapped and a moment later, someone knocked on the door, "Actually, I know who it is. It's an old friend of mine and Xia's."

The blind girl walked towards the door and opened, revealing that it was Iroh standing on the other side.

"Glad to see you're okay."

"I need your help."

Aang and Sokka yelped and looked at the older man with angry and shocked expressions as they got both got into a fighting stance. Toph smiled calmly and waved at Iroh, Momo chittering and flying over to land on Toph's shoulder when he saw him.

"You guys know each other?" Aang demanded as he stared suspiciously at the old man.

"I met him in the woods that one time I left and Xia came to bring me back. I knocked him down." Toph explained with a slight smile, "Then he gave me some tea and some very good advice."

"May I come in?" Iroh asked politely, stepping inside the house when Toph nodded then he turned to look at the three, "Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se."

Aang's expression became angry and he clenched his fist, "She must have Katara."

"She has captured my nephew as well." Iroh stated quietly and he looked Aang in the eye, "And, I fear, your sister Xiaodan."

"What? How?" Aang asked then he shook his head, "Never mind, it's doesn't matter. We'll have to work together to fight Azula, and save Katara, Xia, and Zuko."

"Whoa there!" Sokka exclaimed and he walked over to Aang, pointing at him with wide eyes, "You lost me at 'Zuko'."

"I know how you must feel about my nephew." Iroh stated slowly and he walked forward, putting his hands on Sokka's shoulders, "But believe me when I tell you that there is _good_ inside him."

Sokka pushed Iroh away and took a few steps back, "'Good inside him' isn't enough! Why don't you come back when it's _outside_ him too, okay?"

"Katara and Xia are in trouble. All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble." Aang remarked sharply as he glared slightly at the older boy, "Working together is our best chance."

Sokka hesitated a moment then nodded in understanding. Iroh smiled faintly and walked back toward the door.

"I brought someone along who might help us." He said and the four walked outside.

Toph quickly put up a couple earth pillars around a tied and gagged Dai Li agent, forcing him to stand up. Iroh walked over to him and pulled the gag down, the man talking instantly.

"Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup! They're going to overthrow the Earth King!"

"My sister!" Sokka demanded as he stepped threateningly towards the agent, "Where are they keeping Katara?"

"And Xiaodan?" Aang demanded a moment later.

"There isn't anyone named Xiaodan being held prisoner." The agent hurriedly answered, "But their keeping Katara in the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the palace."

"Xia must be trying to help Katara." Aang commented as he and the others ran away from the house, back towards the palace.

* * *

"The movements of the Earth King and all the generals have been plotted out step-by-step." The head of the Dai Li said as he stood in front of Long Feng's cell.

"Good." Long Feng replied calmly as he meditated in his cell, "And the Fire Nation princess is cooperating?"

"Oh, yes. More than cooperating." The agent said and his tone became slightly awed, "She's really taken charge. She's terrifying and inspirational at the same time. It's hard to explain."

Long Feng opened his eyes and stared at the wall narrowly as the agent walked away.

* * *

"Why did they throw you in here?!" Katara shouted angrily as she paced back and forth behind Zuko, who had his back turned to her with his head bowed forward, "Oh, wait, let me guess. It's a trap. So that when Aang shows up to help me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches!"

Zuko turned his head slightly to glance at her over his shoulder then he looked back at the ground again.

Katara scowled and continued berating the silent teen, "You're a terrible person! You know that? Always following us! Hunting the Avatar! Trying to capture the world's last hope for peace and taking Aang's sister away! But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood!"

Zuko tensed and he turned his head slightly, "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"I don't?! How dare you!" Katara shouted angrily as she whirled around to glare at his back, "You have no idea what this war has put me through. Me personally!"

The Waterbender turned back around and sat down on the ground, her hand coming up to touch her necklace as she began to cry quietly, "The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."

Zuko turned around to look at Katara's back, his brow furrowing slightly at her words.

"I'm sorry." He apologized quietly then he paused and looked down, "That's something we have in common."

Katara turned her head and looked at him in surprise, sniffing quietly and wiping the tears away from her eyes as she looked at him.

* * *

"This leads to the Crystal Catacombs?" Xiaodan asked slowly as she looked at the dark hole the Dai Li agent she had accosted had just Earthbended a rock from in front of after leading her throw the palace, "And that's where they're keeping Katara?"

The Dai Li agent nodded wearily in confirmation and Xiaodan inclined her head to him in sincere gratitude, then she flashed an apologetic smile.

"Thanks…And sorry for this."

Before he could do anything, Xiaodan twirled her staff around and cracked him upside the head with her staff, knocking him unconscious. She dropped her staff and caught him before he hit the ground, leaning him against the wall just like she did back in the secret Dai Li headquarters under Lake Laogai.

"You really should think about a career change, young man." The white-haired Airbender muttered as she picked up her staff and walked into the dark hole.

* * *

"Well, what'd ya know?" Toph quipped in mild surprise as she kneeled and pressed her hand to the ground, "There _is_ an ancient city down there. But it's deep."

The blind Earthbender stood and formed a tunnel through the ground, beginning to form a way to the catacombs.

"We should split up." Sokka said after a moment of thought, "Aang, you go with Iroh to look for Katara and the angry jerk, no offense.

"None taken." Iroh replied easily.

"And I'll go with Toph to warn the Earth King of Azula's coup." Sokka continued, "If Xia did try and find Katara, she might be at the palace. Toph and I will keep an eye out for her."

Aang nodded then he and Iroh walked to the start of the tunnel Toph had created, Aang easily beginning to Earthbend the rest of the way down while Iroh bended a small fire in the palm of his hand for light as they went deeper into the tunnel.

* * *

"So…Toph thinks you give pretty good advice," Aang commented after they had walked in silence for a few minutes, "And great tea!"

"The key to both is proper aging." Iroh replied lightly, "What's on your mind."

"Well, I met with his guru who was supposed to help me master the Avatar State and control this _great_ power, but to do it, I had to let go of someone I love." Aang explained and he stopped Earthbending for a moment, hanging his head slightly, "And I just couldn't do it."

"Perfection and power are overrated." Iroh said wisely, "I think you were very wise to choose happiness and love."

Aang started Earthbending again, "What happens if we can't save anyone and beat Azula? Without the Avatar State, what if I'm not powerful enough?"

"I don't know the answer." Iroh responded carefully after a moment of thought, "Sometimes, life is like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you keep moving…"

Iroh smiled when Aang Earthbended the rocks in front of them away one last time, blowing out the fire in his hand and revealing the glowing, crystal filled chamber with a beautiful waterfall before them.

"You will come to a better place."

* * *

Toph and Sokka quickly climbed the stairs of the palace with Momo flying behind them.

"There's General How!" Sokka said as he pointed towards the general then he put his arm out in front of Toph and yanked her behind a pillar when he got a bad feeling.

He watched with narrowed eyes as General How continued walking towards the stairs before he was suddenly ambushed by several Dai Li agents that had been hiding behind pillars, metal cuffs attaching to his wrists and bringing him to his knees.

"What's going on here?" The general demanded angrily as he glared up at the Dai Li agent that had dropped down in front of him.

"You're under house arrest." The agent replied coldly.

"The coup is happening right now!" Sokka hissed as he watched the Dai Li take General How away, "We've gotta warn the Earth King!"

Sokka grabbed Toph's wrist and pulled her after him as he ran to the throne room.

"Thank goodness we're in time!" Sokka exclaimed as he and Toph burst into the throne room where the king and two of the Kyoshi Warriors were sitting.

"In time for what?" King Kuei asked in confusion, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked at the Water Tribe boy.

"Yeah. What are you in time for, cutie?" One of the girls asked as she cartwheeled over to Sokka, a flirty smile on her face.

Sokka leaned away from her and gave her a strange look, "Uh, I'm kinda involved with Suki."

"Who?" The girl asked, gasping a moment later when Toph knocked her away from Sokka with Earthbending and she flipped through the air, landing on the large badgermole statue behind the king's throne.

"They're not the real Kyoshi Warriors." Toph shouted as she shifted into a bending stance and King Kuei gasped in shock.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Mai drawled with a smirk as she fired some daggers at Toph.

The blind girl quickly brought up an earth shield then she kicked the earth shield back at Mai, who jumped over it with a scowl. Toph quickly Earthbended a rock pillar, knocking the girl off her feet.

Sokka grinned when he saw Toph take care of Mai then he gasped when Ty Lee suddenly appeared beside him, giggling cutely. She started jabbing at him in an attempt to hit his pressure points, but Sokka ducked and evaded the jabs as he backed away over to Toph.

"Oooh," Ty Lee cooed with a smile, "It's like we're dancing together!"

"The fight is over."

Sokka and Toph spun around, staring in shock as Azula stood behind the Earth King with a small flame held to his head. Sokka glared and raised his arms above his head with Toph, Ty Lee hopping over and blocking their chi. Momo chittered as he tried to fly away, but he was grabbed midair by a Dai Li agent's rock gloves.

"Get them out of my sight." Azula barked as she shoved King Kuei away, watching with a malicious smirk as Sokka and Toph were dragged out of the room by Mai, Ty Lee, and one of the Dai Li agents, the Earth King and his bear trailing after them.

Azula tilted her head and her smirk widened when Long Feng walked into the room with several Dai Li agents and they stopped a few feet in front of the dais she was standing on.

"Now comes the part where I double cross you." Long Feng said smugly, "Dai Li, arrest the Fire Nation Princess!"

The Dai Li didn't move and Long Feng tensed, his expression morphing into a scowl.

"I said arrest her!" He shouted again, but they still didn't move, "What is wrong with you?!"

"It's because they haven't made up their minds." Azula remarked with a smirk as she regarded the man in front of her, "They're waiting to see how this is going to end."

"What are you talking about?" Long Feng demanded furiously.

"I can see your whole history in your eyes." Azula stated coolly in reply, "You were born with nothing, so you've had to struggle, and connive, and claw your way to power. But true power, the divine right to rule, is something you're born with. The fact is, they don't know which one of us is going to be sitting on that throne, and which one is going to be bowing down."

"But I know, and you know." She continued and she sat down on the throne, crossing her legs primly as she smiled maliciously at the worried look that appeared on Long Feng's face, "Well?"

Long Feng stared at her for a moment then he walked forward and dropped to his knees before the throne, his head bowed in defeat.

"You've beaten me at my own game."

"Don't flatter yourself." Azula scoffed with a cruel smirk, "You were never even a player."

* * *

Katara shifted and clasped her hands behind her back as she stared at the ground abashedly.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you before." She apologized quietly and she scuffed her foot against the ground.

Zuko looked off the side with his head slightly bowed, "It doesn't matter."

"It's just that," Katara started to say as she looked at the banished prince from the corner of her eye, "For so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face."

"My face?" Zuko questioned quietly then he touched his scar, "I see."

"No, no, that's-that's not what I meant." Katara said hurriedly and she walked towards him slowly, unsurely.

"It's okay." Zuko replied, his voice still quiet, but not angry and he thought about his uncle and about Xia as he spoke, "I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."

"Maybe you could be free of it." Katara said suddenly as an idea came to her.

"What?"

The Waterbender put her hand on her chest, "I have healing abilities."

Zuko looked way from her and slightly hunched his shoulders, "It's a scar, it can't be healed."

"This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important." Katara explained as she showed him the vial then she walked forward until she was standing in front of him, "I don't know if it would work, but…"

Zuko closed his eyes as she reached out one hand and put it on his scar, causing him to flinch slightly at the contact. Zuko couldn't help but notice how different her hand felt from Xiaodan's own when she touched his scar. Suddenly, a loud crash filled the air and the two spun around, staring in surprise at Aang and Iroh standing in front of a large hole in the wall of the cavern.

"Aang!" Katara shouted happily and she rushed forward, hugging the bald boy tightly.

Aang smiled then glared at Zuko over Katara's shoulder, his eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance and distrust. Zuko glared back at him over his uncle's shoulder as Iroh embraced him.

"Aang, I knew you would come." Katara said and she hugged Aang again.

"Uncle, I don't understand." Zuko said in confusion as he looked from the Avatar to Iroh then he pointed at Aang, "What are you doing with the Avatar?"

"Saving you, that's what." Aang replied snidely and Zuko growled, taking a threatening step towards him, but Iroh stopped him.

"Zuko, it's time we talked." Iroh said lowly then he looked at Aang and Katara, "Go help your other friends, we still don't know where Xia is and you need to find her before Azula or her allies do. We'll catch up with you."

"Xia's in trouble?" Zuko demanded and he turned to look at his uncle after Katara and Aang walked out of the chamber, Katara glancing back at him briefly, "We have to go get her!"

"We must talk first. Xia's friends will find her and keep her save." Iroh replied soothingly and Zuko scowled his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides.

"Why, Uncle?"

"You're not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you've ever been." Iroh stated seriously as he looked at his nephew, "And now you have come to a crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good."

Zuko stared at his uncle quietly for a moment and was about to nod in agreement when Iroh was suddenly encased in crystal, dust clouding his vision and he shouted in surprise. He quickly spun around and shifted into a bending stance, his eyes narrowing when he saw two Dai Li agents and Azula jump into the cavern.

"I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle." Azula commented drily then she _tsk'd_, "But Zuko, _Prince_ Zuko, you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you?"

"Release him immediately." Zuko snapped in reply.

"It's not too late for you, Zuko." Azula continued persuasively, "You can still redeem yourself."

"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you." Iroh said firmly as he looked at his nephew.

"Why don't you let _him_ decided, Uncle?" Azula barked then she looked at Zuko imploringly, "I need you, Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day, this glorious day in Fire Nation history, and the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have Father's love. You will have everything you want."

"Zuko, I'm begging you." Iroh pleaded from where he was trapped by the crystals and Zuko looked at him, "Look into your hear and see what it is that you truly want.'

Azula gestured at the two Dai Li agents, who then Earthbended themselves out of the chamber while Zuko contemplated his choice.

"You are free to choose." Azula stated with a small smirk and she turned, following after Aang and Katara.

* * *

"We've got to find Sokka and Toph." Katara said as she and Aang ran through the crystal cavern with the waterfall.

"And Xia." Aang added then he gasped and whirled around, blocking the bolt of lightning that Azula shot at them from behind.

Katara ran out from behind the short wall of earth and Waterbended a wave from a small channel beside her, catching a second bolt of lightning before swirling the water around her and sending it crashing towards the Fire Nation princess.

Azula narrowed her eyes and lifted her hands in the air then she brought them down and stomped one foot, creating a small wall of blue fire that vaporized the water and turned it into mist.

Aang walked over to stand beside Katara and the two looked around warily, the cloud of mist slowly dispersing in front of them. Suddenly, Azula ran up a large piece of crystal and leapt out of the mist, shooting two blue fireballs from her fists. Aang and Katara quickly brought up an arch of water to stop the blast from hitting them while Azula landed in a crouch on a nearby stone pillar. Aang gritted his teeth and shot his hands outward before pulling them back to his chest, Earthbending the pillar Azula was standing on into rubble.

Azula gasped quietly and jumped off the crumbling pillar quickly, landing between Aang and Katara with her middle and pointer fingers of both hands pointed at the two threateningly. The princess looked between the two with narrowed eyes, which widened slightly when a powerful blast of fire burst in front of her, stopping her from attacking Aang or Katara. The smoke from the blast cleared and the three turned, staring in surprise at Zuko.

Zuko to a few steps forward, his hands still raised in a Firebending position, and he looked at his sister then at the Avatar.

Aang gasped and his eyes widened slightly just before Zuko punched a fire blast at him. Aang quickly swung his arms around his body, bending a protective arc of air in front of his body that dispersed the fire and sent him backwards a few feet. Azula smirked at her brother then abruptly twisted her body around, shooting a blast of blue fire at a distracted Katara, who hurriedly protected herself from the fire with a globule of water. While Azula dueled Katara, Zuko gritted his teeth and shot multiple fire blasts at Aang, who jumped and spun to avoid them.

* * *

Sokka peered out of the small, barred window in the metal prison cell he, Toph, King Kuei, and Momo had been locked in.

"See any Dai Li agents nearby?" Toph whispered from where she was leaning against the wall.

"Nope." Sokka replied after a moment and he stepped away from the door, "All clear."

Toph cracked her knuckles and stretched her arms over her head as she straightened then she walked over to the door. She put her hands against the door and clenched them, causing the door to crumble inward then she shoved the door away.

"Let's go!" Sokka ordered as Toph ran out of the cell, Momo flying after her.

"I'm not leaving without Bosco!" The king exclaimed as Sokka dragged him out of the cell after the blind girl and lemur.

* * *

Xiaodan frowned and she stopped walking, turning her head from side to side, but the darkness of the tunnel prevented her from seeing any more than a few inches in front of her face. After a moment she sat down cross-legged on the ground, her staff lying across her legs and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath then exhaling slowly as she cleared her mind. Once her thoughts were completely cleared and there was nothing but darkness in her mind, Xiaodan breathed deeply and slowly, settling more firmly into her meditation. Suddenly a thin cord of energy appeared in the darkness of her mind, glowing with a faint golden light as it ran straight through the darkness. Xiaodan slowly opened her eyes and smiled into the darkness of the tunnel.

"Everything is connected." The white-haired girl murmured she remembered Aang saying when they had been in the Foggy Swamp and she jumped to feet, walking in the direction the thread had indicated with her staff in hand.

* * *

Aang gasped quietly as he dodged another fire blast and he quickly bended the air currents around him then he thrusted his chest out, sending a human-shaped gust of air at Zuko. Zuko's eyes widened and he grunted when the gust slammed into him, knocking him onto his back. Aang leapt towards the Fire Nation prince, attacking him with another gust of air but Zuko rolled out of the way and sent a fire blast at Aang's feet. The young Airbender quickly jumped over the blast and away from Zuko, who jumped to his feet and began firing more blasts at Aang, who had been clinging to a pillar

Aang pushed off the side of a rock pillar, landing in a crouch on a protruding crystal high on the wall of the chamber. Zuko glared furiously up at him and Firebended a stronger blast, launching a stream of flames at the Avatar. Aang's eyes widened and he straightened, Earthbending the cluster of crystals in front of him to protect him, but the crystals shattered as soon as the fire blast hit them and Aang was sent flying into another clump of crystals.

Zuko pulled his arms back, fire still dancing around his fists which he bended into dual fire whips. He swung the fire whips around then lashed out at the crystals Aang had gotten stuck between. Aang yelped and shoved himself out of the way just in time to avoid the fire whips and he leapt back, landing on a rock that was surrounded by more crystals. Zuko lashed out with the fire whips again and again, but Aang kept dodging, leaping from rock pillars and crystal clumps erratically.

On the other side of the chamber, Azula landed on the ground after jumping away from one of Katara's attacks before she charged at the Waterbender again. Katara narrowed her eyes and sent a wave of water at Azula, who managed to twist to the side to avoid it, but the wave sliced through one of her bangs. Azula's eyes narrowed and a snarl curled her lips as she turned to face Katara again.

Zuko lashed out with the fire whips again, destroying the stalactite Aang had been clinging too on the ceiling of the chamber. Aang quickly leapt to another stalactite, kicking the tip off and clinging to the side before flipping himself around to follow the tip. He growled slightly as he used Airbending to push himself against the flat end of the stalactite tip then he used Earthbending to increase the impact when the tip hit the ground. The resulting impact sent Zuko flying, where he hit the ground then bounced and slammed into a large crystal.

Katara breathed heavily as she sent a blast of water at Azula, knocking her to the ground. While Azula was getting to her feet, Katara began encasing herself in water all the way up to her shoulders. Quickly, the dark-haired Waterbender brought her arms up and swung them forward, the water tentacles on her arms following the movements and hitting Azula just as the princess was about to shoot another fire blast. One of the tentacles encased Azula's arm and when she went to kick blast of fire at Katara, the Waterbender lashed out and caught her foot with the other tentacle. Katara grunted as she lifted Azula up, preparing to throw her, but before she could Zuko suddenly kicked a blade of fire at the two tentacles, freeing his sister.

Azula smirked over at her brother before she glanced over at the crater Aang had created with the stalactite tip, just as an exhausted Aang was crawling out of it. Azula's smirk widened and she ran towards him. Katara scowled and lashed out with two water whips, blocking the fire blasts Zuko shot at her.

"I thought you had changed!" Katara shouted as she lashed out with the water whips again.

Zuko blocked her attack with his fire whips, causing both water and fire whips to dissipate, then he shifted into a bending stance.

"I have changed." Zuko retorted coldly and he punched a fire blast at her.

On the other side of the chamber, Azula and Aang stood opposite each other. Aang stared at the princess with wide eyes before he scowled, his brow furrowing in anger and determination. Azula suddenly swung her arms up then back, blue flames shooting from her hands which she used to propel herself towards him while blue fire shooting from her feet allowed her to slide across the ground.

Aang stared in surprise then he scowled again, bringing his arms up and Earthbending the crystals on either side of him around his body to create a makeshift armor. He thrusted his hands forward, using Earthbending to charge at the princess. Azula's eyes narrowed and she abruptly stopped, leaping forward and shooting a powerful blue fire blast at Aang, Aang brought his crystal encased arms protectively in front of his face, but the fire blast shattered the crystals and sent him flying backwards into an old, stone building that had been built into the wall of the chamber

* * *

Ty Lee smiled encouragingly as she stood in front of the Earth King's bear in the throne room, Mai lounging boredly on the steps of the dais.

"Come on, it's easy. You just walk on your front paws instead of your rear ones." Ty Lee explained cheerfully and she shifted into a handstand and began walking on her hands, "Like this."

Suddenly, the floor shot up and encased Ty Lee's hands, causing her to feet to tip forward and forcing her into a backbend then the floor shot up again and trapped her feet. Bosco rumbled happily and began clapping as Ty Lee looked at Toph, Sokka, and the King standing a few feet in front of her.

"That's a nice trick." Toph commented sarcastically, her hands still raised from when she Earthbended Ty Lee's hands and feet to the floor.

Sokka unsheathed his boomerang and Toph Earthbended a large block of ground in preparation to fight, but Mai merely sighed and flicked her wrist dismissively.

"Just take the bear." She mumbled disinterestedly and the king ran towards bear.

"Bosco!" Kuei exclaimed as he embraced the animal happily.

* * *

Katara quickly swung her water tentacle, blocking the fire blast Zuko had just sent at her. She whirled around and brought up her second water tentacle when Azula suddenly kicked a fire blast at her as she jumped off a nearby cluster of crystals. Katara breathed heavily and brought up a shield of water when Zuko punched another fire ball at her, gasping when she was thrown into a clump of crystals by the blast Azula fired at her. The dark-haired Waterbender slumped to the side, her clothes steaming from the blast she had only just managed to block and her hair falling loose.

The ground suddenly began to rumble, Zuko turning to stare in shock while Azula glanced in the same direction just as Aang leapt out of the old stone building. Aang growled furiously as he landed, Earthbending the ground around him and he began earth surfing towards Azula and Aang with a furious expression.

Zuko stared in surprise for a moment before scowling as he and his sister turned to face Aang, their arms raised in identical bending stances. Aang narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth as he glared at the siblings intently then his eyes widened slightly when a Dai Li agent suddenly jumped in front of him and disrupted the earth surf, sending him flying over Azula and Zuko. Aang grunted as he hit the ground and slid forward, creating a deep trench with his body. He pushed himself up to his knees and stared in alarm as more Dai Li agents began to appear.

Katara groaned quietly as she regained consciousness and she glanced around in dismay, she quickly pushed herself to her feet when several agents landed in front of her and she quickly bended more water around in the octopus form as several more landed behind her.

Aang stood up and shifted into a defensive Airbending stance, looking first at Azula and Zuko standing side-by-side in their own bending stances with numerous Dai Li agents standing behind them.

"There's too many." Aang whispered as he looked over at Katara using the octopus form and surround by more of the Dai Li.

'_The only way is to let her go.'_

Aang swallowed thickly as Pathik's voice filled his head and realization hit him.

"I'm sorry, Katara." Aang whispered then he closed his eyes and turned away from Azula and Zuko, Earthbending a crystal tent around him.

Aang sat lotus-style in the middle of the tent and began meditating to unlock the seventh chakra. In his mind, a giant version of himself in the Avatar State, the Avatar Spirit, hovered in the darkness with an Airbending sphere floating between his hands. In the middle of the air sphere floated a normal-sized Aang in the Avatar State. Inside the crystal tent, Aang's tattoos began to glow white as he accessed the Avatar State.

* * *

Xiaodan walked down the dark tunnel for what felt like hours when her chest suddenly tightened so abruptly she stumbled with gasp, clutching the wall of the tunnel with her free hand while the other tightened around her staff. She shut her eyes tightly before snapping them open a moment later when she felt a faint feeling of sorrow and regret fill her mind, realizing a moment later that the feelings weren't her own, but her little brother's.

"Aang!" Xiaodan gasped and she quickly slipped her staff onto her back, racing down the dark tunnel as she followed the invisible string that connected her and Aang.

She ran through the tunnels of the Catacombs as fast as she could, Airbending herself to run faster as she allowed her instincts to guide her to her brother. She suddenly saw a light up ahead and Xiaodan pushed herself faster, skidding to a stop a moment later as she came ran out onto a ledge that overlooked a massive chamber of glowing green crystals.

"_**AANG! NO!**_"

* * *

Zuko lowered his arms and stepped back with the Dai Li as tent of crystals the Avatar had trapped himself in began to glow brightly, the Avatar's silhouette easily visible.

Inside the crystal tent, Aang's eyes suddenly snapped open and the top of the crystal tent suddenly shattered. Zuko and the Dai Li recoiled slightly, all of them bringing their arms up to shield their eyes from the brilliant light. Katara looked up at Aang in the Avatar State as he rose up into the air with a hopeful expression on her face.

Suddenly, Aang's body arched in pain and his mouth fell open as he spasmed, lightning crackling around body. Behind him, Azula smirked as she remained in the lightning summoning position, the tips of her fingers smoking.

'_Inside Aang's mind, the Avatar Spirit's hands suddenly went slack, dropping Aang. The Avatar Spirit's eyes drifted closed as it slumped to the side and disappeared from the plane of existence, Aang's mental-self plummeting into darkness.'_

Katara watched with horror and tear-filled eyes as Aang's limp body plummeted towards the ground. She twisted her arms and kneeled, pulling the eight tentacles of water around her body into a protective bubble then she burst forward with her arms flung outwards, Waterbending a giant wave beneath her. The wave she was riding knocked down the Dai Li agents and Zuko as she passed over them on her way to Aang and she caught him just before he hit the ground, the wave dispersing as she kneeled with him in her arms. Zuko an Azula moved closer to Katara as she clutched Aang to her, corner them and preparing to attack.

"_**AANG! NO!**_"

The feral, pain-filled scream wrenched through the air and Katara whipped her head up, staring in shock as blindingly white fire shot out in front of her before it faded to a brilliant orange. The dark-haired Waterbender felt her jaw drop and her eyes widened further when she saw Xiaodan standing in front of her and Aang's body with her arms outstretched protectively, her long white hair being whipped around by the flaming air that swirled around her body in a violent tornado.

Zuko and Azula stumbled back a step at the intense heat that was radiating off the white-haired girl standing before him and his sister, their arms raised to protect their eyes from the light of the blaze.

"Xia?" Zuko rasped in shock and her eyes suddenly flashed over to him, the molten orange depth burning with such pain and betrayal, it made his heart clench in his chest.

Beside her stupefied brother, Azula scowled and lunged forward, kicking a blast of fire at the distracted white-haired girl. Xiaodan snapped her gaze away from Zuko and she crossed her arms diagonally in front of her chest then she flung them down to the side a moment later, two crescents of white fire slamming into Azula's fire blast and dispersing it in a shower of flames.

The pain and betrayal Xiaodan had felt at seeing Zuko standing beside his sister, helping her attack Aang morphed into a burning rage and she bared her teeth at the two Fire Nation siblings. Instinct and anger guided her movements as attacked them violently with a combination of fire and air. Her attacks were so erratic and violent that Azula and Zuko were forced onto the defensive, dodging and deflecting as many of the attacks while trying to get their own hits in.

Katara stared in morbid fascination as Xiaodan, sweet, playful, sisterly Xiaodan who Aang loved dearly, attacked Azula and Zuko with an anger and violence that Katara thought she was incapable of and with Firebending, no less. Katara was trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Xiaodan, a Master Airbender, was currently Firebending. It shouldn't be possible and yet it was happening right in front of her. Katara swallowed and looked down at Aang, her heart stuttering in her chest as she held his limp body in her arms. She needed to get him out of and she would need Xiaodan's help.

"Xia!" The dark-haired Waterbender called out desperately as she stood, struggling slightly under Aang's deadweight, "Please, Aang needs your help! Please!"

Xiaodan froze and turned around, the fire flaring around her fists dying down as she looked at Aang's unresponsive form in Katara's arm. She stepped towards her friend and brother, turning her back on Azula and Zuko and that was when Azula sprung. The Fire Nation princess jumped up and kicked both of her feet towards the white-haired girl, Firebending a powerful blast of blue fire at her.

"No!" Zuko shouted as he rolled to his feet after being knocked down, his eyes widened as he watched in horror as Xiaodan turned around, her own eyes going wide in shock as she swung her arms to create an air shield to protect herself from the blast.

Suddenly, a burst of orange fire flashed in front of Xiaodan, shielding her from Azula's fire blast. Katara, Xiaodan, Zuko, and Azula all turned to stare in surprise as Iroh leapt off a ledge on the chamber's wall, landing in front of the white-haired girl protectively.

"You've got to get out of here!" Iroh shouted at Xiaodan and he nodded towards Katara, who was struggling to carry Aang to the waterfall, "I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

Xiaodan hesitated a moment, her orange eyes flickering from Iroh to Zuko and Azula, "But, Iroh-"

"GO!" Iroh roared and he sent some fire blasts at Zuko and Azula, keeping both back when they had started forward.

Xiaodan backed away from him, her eyes meeting Zuko's and the pain that she had pushed aside flared up inside her again as she looked at them. She swallowed back the tears that gathered in her eyes then she spun around and raced towards Katara, scooping Aang easily into her arms when she reached the dark-haired girl. Iroh quickly began fending off the Dai Li, his nephew, and his niece while the three made their escape.

"Come on!" Xiaodan cried out as she ran towards the waterfall with Katara on her heels.

Xiaodan ran into the water and stood at the base of the waterfall where she crouched then leapt, propelling herself upward with a powerful gust of air as she held Aang tightly in her arms. Katara quickly bended the water around her body and lifted herself up its path, following Xiaodan up to the surface.

Iroh glanced behind him and nodded once in satisfaction when he saw that Xiaodan had gotten the other two out of the chamber safely then he turned back around, lowering his hands. Instantly, the Dai Li used Earthbending to encase him in crystals. Iroh caught Zuko looking at him and Iroh closed his eyes, turning his head to the side.

* * *

Tears ran down Xiaodan's face as she held her brother close to her, his back leaning against her chest and his head resting in the crook of her neck. Katara sat in front of her on Appa's head as the sky bison flew away from Ba Sing Se, a somber Sokka, Toph, King Kuei and his bear sitting on Appa's back.

Xiaodan lifted her head and looked at Katara desperately and the dark-haired girl nodded, lifting the string the vial of Spirit Oasis water was hanging on. The white-haired girl carefully shifted Aang in her arms so he was turned on his side, the angry wound on his back exposed. A choked noise escaped Xiaodan and she hung her head as her tears fell faster at the sight of the wound.

Katara opened the vial and bended the water from it, leaning forward and pressing the glowing water to his would, using it to heal him. The water disappeared as soon as it touched his back and Katara sobbed quietly when it seemed like nothing happened. Xiaodan shifted him in her arms so he was in his original position, silent sobs shaking her body as she hung her head.

Aang's tattooed glowed briefly and he groaned quietly, startling both Katara and Xiaodan. The two girls looked at him hopefully, watching as he opened his eyes and smiled a little. Xiaodan smiled back weakly then she shifted him towards Katara, who hugged him tightly to her as he slipped back into unconsciousness. Slowly, Katara released Aang and moved him so he was lying on Appa neck between her and Xiaodan, both girls holding him and each other tightly.

* * *

"We've done it, Zuko." Azula said gleefully as she sat on the Earth Kingdom throne, Zuko standing quietly to her left, "It's taken a hundred years, but the Fire Nation has conquered Ba Sing Se."

"I betrayed Uncle." Zuko commented quietly as he stared at the ground blankly.

'_I betrayed Xia…' _He added silently, his heart clenching when he remembered the pained look in her eyes as she stared him.

"No, he betrayed you." Azula replied coolly as she stood and she turned to look at her brother, "Zuko, when you return home, Father will welcome you as a war hero."

"But I don't have the Avatar." Zuko stated in confusion and he glanced at his sister skeptically, "What if Father doesn't restore my honor?"

"He doesn't need to, Zuko." Azula said in almost nice tone and she put her hand on Zuko's shoulder, "Today, you restored your own honor."

Zuko looked away from her, his lips pursed wh uncertainty.

* * *

Kuei looked over his shoulder at the city of Ba Sing Se as Appa flew farther and farther away from the palace.

"The Earth Kingdom…has fallen." The former king said softly and he closed his eyes, bowing his head.

Xiaodan and Katara looked at each other over Aang's head, then Katara looked up with a sad expression on her face as Appa flew over the walls of Ba Sing Se.

* * *

**Author's Note: … I can honestly say that I was bloody terrified to post this chapter.….. I don't really have much to say other than Zuko is an idiot and I really, really hope that Xiaodan doesn't seem Mary-Sue in this, because she isn't and she won't be able to Firebend quite the way she did in this chapter for a long time. Anyhooties, next chapter will be take me a little while to write, so don't worry if I don't update for about a week or so, it's gonna be a completely non-canon chapter that will focus almost entirely on Xia so that's why it's going to take me so long, but I'll post it as soon as I finish. I hope all y'all liked this chapter!**

**PS - Almost forgot, what do you guys think of Xia having the dragon from her swamp vision as her spirit guide and maybe later as her animal guide? And when I saw animal guide, I'm talking about how Appa is Aang's animal guide and Fang was Roku's animal guide, something like that? Would that be too cliché or weird? You're opinions would be much appreciated!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are awesome-sauce!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**READandWRITE11: **Haha, that's awesome, I'm always reading fanfiction when I should be doing something else. XD Anyhooties, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one too!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Haha, yeah, sadly that stick has been reintroduced to Zuko's arse… Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Inigo Montoya: **I love that quote too! Along with 'That chakra opened up less like a flowing creek and more like a…burping bison.' So funny. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one too!

LadyAmazon: Awesome, glad I'm not the only that squeaked/squealed at all the fluff in the last chapter. :] Le sigh, unfortunately, Zuko decides to be an idiot and now he's back on Xia's bad side, which definitely not a place I'd want to be now that she can cause fiery tornados when she's really, really pissed off. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked all the Zukia/Xiabug fluff in the last chapter and it totally sucks that all that cuteness and lovey-dovey-ness comes 'round to bite Xia in the butt. Ooh, I never thought of doing it like that, but it's definitely a good idea. I might have Xia tell Aang, since he's her brother, but not telling Sokka, Toph, and Katara would definitely cause some drama/tension when Zuko decides to join the group, especially between Katara and Xia. Hmm… I thought about having her go with Aang and him to the Sun Warrior Ruins since the Sun Warriors and the two dragons play a vital role in Xia's past, but now that I think about, I'm not sure how I'll make it work, so I might just have her try and go to the Ruins on her own after Aang and Zuko get back, but Zuko will catch her trying to sneak off and go with her. Does that sound like it could work? Haha, I can tell you it's gonna take A LOT of effort of dear ZuZu's part when it comes to earning Xia's trust back. He's gonna have to get creative and maybe even ask Sokka for some advice. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**LiveOutLoud143: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the romance between Xia and Zuko. Aw, I really hope this chapter didn't make you cry, cause it'll get better I promise!

**FoShizzleMySizzle: **Haha, thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far! It was definitely Xia unintentionally Firebending, white flames are definitely going to be signature, like Azula's flames are blue. It does suck that Zukia is now official broken-up for the time being and it's kinda sad since they'd only just really started to realize their feelings for each other. Anyhooties, I hope the unleashing of Xia's Firebending 'skills' was up to your expectations!

**Luna WhiteWolf: **Thanks, I hope you like this chapter too!

**Cookie Mafia Boss: **Haha, I'm glad I wasn't the only one squealing at the fluffiness of the last chapter. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**MidnightWolf191:** Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Yeah, I always found it weird how un-Zuko-like he was in that episode, it was Twilight Zone-y for sure. I like him a lot better when he changed in the third season, where he's good, but he's still the grumpy, temperamental prince we all know and love. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Becky: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked all the fluff in the last chapter and that Zuko was in character with how affectionate and sweet he was acting towards Xia. Haha, yes, Xia did some unintentional and completely unconscious Firebending with the stove, white fire will usually signal that Xia's the one Firebending. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Cat of Flames: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and the story title reference! I hope you like this chapter too!

**Jazzy: **I'm glad you liked all the Xiabug moments in the last chapter! Haha, I almost didn't catch it either until I went back and reread, then I just started laughing. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**O.o: **Definitely, the Zuko in that episode always kinda freaks me out and it makes me think that maybe he's tripping on happy pills or maybe Sokka's cactus juice. Le sigh, the time between the GAang leaves Ba Sing Se and Aang wakes up is definitely not gonna be a happy time for Xia, she's definitely gonna be having at least one emotional breakdown at some point. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Shanagi95: **Xia's and Zuko's relationship will regress quite a bit since I plan on having Zuko sorta use Mai to forget about Xia, which will be rather ineffective and cause him to feel guilty about it, since he does actually care about Mai just not as much or in the same way as he cares about Xia. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Sara and Kisa: **Thanks, I'm glad you both (?) liked the last chapter! Xia is actually a duel-bender, she can bend both fire and air, but she's only mastered Airbending since she basically forgot that she could Firebending during her Airbending training. Xia's past and how she can bend both air and fire will be explained more in the next chapter which will center almost entirely on her with the other characters making brief appearances. As for her swamp vision, Xia is not a dragon, but the dragon also plays a vital role which will also be explained in the next chapter. Anyhooties, I hope that answered your questions and I hope you guys liked this chapter!


	42. Chapter 42: Xiaodan's Reflection

**AN: Chapter 42 is completely non-canon and centers mostly around Xia, I'm very nervous and excited to post this chapter, so I hope all y'all enjoy this somewhat short chapter! **

* * *

"_She what?!_"

Katara winced and shifted uncomfortably under her brother's shocked and horrified gaze, her eyes flickering over to Xiaodan who was standing beside her with a blank expression. The group had met up with hers and Sokka's father at Chameleon Bay before the group managed to steal one of the Fire Nation ships, which they were currently using to travel across the Earth Kingdom undetected. In that time, Xiaodan had only said a handful of words and appeared to be in an almost catatonic state, even after Katara had repeatedly assured her that Aang was going to be okay since they'd placed him in one of the cabins in the command tower. After that, Katara had decided it would be a good idea to tell Sokka and Toph about Xiaodan sudden ability to Firebend, something her brother was not taking very well. Toph had yet to say anything on the matter, though her head was turned slightly towards Xiaodan's motionless form.

Katara glanced at the white-haired girl unsurely again then answered her brother, "Xia, kinda, uh, Firebended back in the Catacombs…"

Sokka whirled around and pointed accusingly at Xiaodan, "You what!?"

"Firebended."

"What H-How?" The Water Tribe boy stuttered after the white-haired girl's flat reply, his expression conveying just how hard it was for him to wrap his mind around the fact that Xiaodan, a Master Airbender, had Firebended.

Xiaodan's expression remained blank, her usually bright orange eyes blank as she stared unseeingly at her hands. Though her eyes and face was blank, her mind was rife with turmoil. Her thoughts raged and ravaged her mind and her ears suddenly began to ring, drowning out Sokka's voice as he ranted loudly.

"Katara…" The white-haired girl rasped as she lifted her hand to her forehead, her eyes blurring abruptly, "I don't-"

"Catch her!" Toph suddenly shouted just before Xiaodan eyes rolled into the back of her head and she pitched forward.

"Whoa!" Sokka gasped as he lunged forward, instinctively catching the female Airbender when she slumped towards the ground.

Her dead weight caused Sokka to sink to the metal floor of the upper deck and he looked up at his sister with a panicked expression.

"What's wrong with her?" Sokka demanded as Katara kneeled beside him, her hands already covered with water.

"She's exhausted." Katara said quietly as she bended the water back into her canteen after using her healing to examine the unconscious white-haired girl, "With everything that's happened, it's not surprising. She needs rest, we can put her in one of the cabins."

Sokka hesitated a moment then nodded, struggling to stand for a moment before Toph and Katara helped him to his feet. Katara slipped one of Xiaodan's arms over her shoulder while Sokka did the same with the other and together the two carefully carried the limp white-haired girl towards the command tower, Toph hurrying forward to open the metal door.

* * *

Xiaodan tossed and turned on the sleeping mat in the cabin Katara and Sokka had placed her in to rest, her brow furrowing deeply as she dreamt.

'"_Monk Gyatso, I did it! I did it!" A six year old Xiaodan shouted gleefully as she ran towards her teacher and father-figure, a laughing two year old Aang toddling after her eagerly._

_Monk Gyatso smiled as he turned away from the young man he was talking to, his gray eyes crinkling at the corners as he regarded his two charges as they came to a stop in front of him and the young man._

"_Manners, young one." The gray-bearded monk chided good-naturedly, his gray eyes twinkling, "What do you say, Xiaodan?"_

_The little girl gave him a confused look then realization dawned on her when she saw the man standing beside her teacher. _

"_Oh!" She exclaimed and she quickly bowed to the man with a sheepish smile while Aang mimicked the action at her side with a giggle, "Please excuse me, sir."_

_Xiaodan straightened and watched the man curiously as he kneeled before her with a small smile on his face. She noticed that he was much younger than Monk Gyatso, but his trimmed beard was an almost identical shade of white as her own hair, something her six year old mind found curious, but a moment later her thoughts drifted to who the man was._

"_Who are you?" She asked with innocent curiosity, her head tilted slightly to the side so her messy white bangs fell into her eyes._

_The man smiled slowly at her then he reached out and gently brushed her bangs out of bright orange eyes._

"_I am Tengfei. I was once Monk Gyatso student as well." He said quietly and Xiaodan tilted her head even more in curiosity at the soft, almost fatherly-tone in the man's voice and the man straightened, "What is it you wanted to show him, young one?"_

"_Oh, right!" Xiaodan exclaimed in remembrance and she looked up at Monk Gyatso, who now held Aang in his arms, with an eager smile, "I did it, Sifu, I did it!"_

_Monk Gyatso chuckled quietly, "Did what, young one?"_

"_Just watch!" Xiaodan said proudly then she hurriedly shifted into a bending stance._

_The young white-haired girl took a deep breath then she moved her hands in a circular motion before pushing her hands outwards. Her excited expression fell a moment later when a ball of orange fire erupted from her hands instead of a ball of air._

"_What?!" Xiaodan gasped then she stomped her foot in childish anger, her arms crossing over her chest and she pouted, "Monkey-feathers!"_

"_That was an impressive display, young one." Gyatso complimented with a small smile, ignoring the worried look that had appeared on his former student's face as he regarded the young white-haired girl._

"_But it was supposed to be an airball!" Xiaodan whined, her lower lip trembling slightly as she turned to look up at her teacher with sad eyes, "I swear, Monk Gyatso, I really did do it before. Aang even saw me, right little brother?"_

_Aang giggled and clapped his hands, "Xia airball! Xia airball!"_

_Gyatso gently sat Aang back on his feet and nudged him towards Xiaodan with a soft smile, "I believe you, young one, why don't you go practice your forms with Aang?"_

_Xiaodan sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand then she nodded, "Alright, Sifu Gyatso."_

_Gyatso and Tengfei watched quietly as the young girl led the even younger boy a few yard away to practice her Airbending forms._

"_I thought the Council decided that she wouldn't learn Firebending." Tengfei commented slowly, glancing at his old teacher from the corner of his eye._

_Gyatso stroked his gray beard thoughtful, "We did. But air and fire are spiritual opposites, and fire comes more naturally to Xiaodan than air. She has yet to find a balance between the two, but she is still young and has time to learn."_

"_I hope you're right, Gyatso." Tengfei replied quietly as he watched a laughing Xiaodan correct Aang's stance with a gentle hand…'_

Xiaodan sat up abruptly with a gasp, one hand clutching at her chest as it heaved with her heavy breathing. She swallowed thickly and closed her eyes then snapped them open a moment later, looking around the dimly lit metal room she was in. She could tell it one of the cabins in the command center of the commandeered Fire Nation ship.

The white-haired girl exhaled slowly and laid back down on the sleeping mat, closing her eyes to pull the dream back to the forefront of her mind. She knew it wasn't just a dream, but a memory, a distant memory that only a part of her, the part of her that was a Firebender, truly remembered. Fire and air, spiritual opposites, swirling and fighting for dominance inside her, she could practically feel the two warring inside her body and mind.

"What's happening to me?" Xiaodan whispered warily as she opened her eyes and lifted her hands up to stare at them in the dim light of the candles, "Oh, Gyatso, I wish you were here to explain…I don't understand…"

* * *

Xiaodan stared out at the frothing ocean as the Fire Navy ship she, her friends, and their allies had commandeered, her arms folded atop the ship's railing. The white-haired Airbender inhaled deeply then exhaled slowly, her eyes closing as her thoughts whirled through her mind like a tornado. Her thoughts flashed back to what happened in the Crystal Catacombs back in Ba Sing Se and she shut her eyes even tighter.

'_Xiaodan stared in horror as Azula began to generate lighting at Aang as he floated in the air, his eyes and arrow tattoos glowing brightly from activating the Avatar State._

"**NO!**_" The white-haired Airbender screamed as the bolt of lightning shot from the Fire Nation princess' fingertips, hitting Aang in the middle of his back, "_**AANG!**_"_

_A burning heat flared up inside Xiaodan she watched in numbed shock as Aang's eyes and tattoos stopped glowing and he fell towards the hard stone ground of the underground chamber, Katara careening towards him on a massive wave that knocks down the Dai Li agents, Zuko, and Azula when they began to close in on Aang. _

_A feral, pain-filled shriek echoed through the cavern and the white-haired Airbender lunged off the overhanging rock she was standing on after entering the chamber in the Crystal Catacombs. A burning haze of rage crept across Xiaodan's eyes as she landed in front of Katara, who was cradling Aang's limp body in her arms. A distant part of Xiaodan's mind faintly heard Katara's fearful and shocked gasp from behind her, but her fury was too great and the sound barely registered. She flung her arms out to the side and a wall of white flames appeared behind her, cutting Katara and Aang off from the Dai Li agents and the Fire Nation siblings._

_The Dai Li agents shouted in surprised terror as a cyclone of wind and white-hot fire whipped around the pale-haired girl's body, her molten orange eyes reflecting the brilliant flames and they burned with a deep inner fire that was frightening. Her white hair whipped around her body wildly, the flames dancing across her skin like as if it was a living entity and she stood in an aggressively defensive positing in front of the firewall._

"_Xia…" Zuko rasped as he stared at Xiaodan with wide eyes and an open mouth, his mind trying to comprehend something that should have been impossible._

_Xiaodan looked at him and her heart clenched with pain as she stared at him with a betrayed expression._

_Azula scowled and lunged forward, kicking a blast of fire at the distracted white-haired girl, but Xiaodan snapped her gaze away just in time to see the attack coming and she crossed her arms diagonally in front of her chest then she flung them down, creating two crisscrossed crescents of fire that slammed into Azula's fire blast. The two attacks collided and dispersed in a shower of orange sparks. _

_The __pain and betrayal Xiaodan felt at seeing Zuko standing beside his sister, helping her attack Aang morphed into a burning rage and Xiaodan bared her teeth at the two Fire Nation siblings. She lunged, instinct and anger guided her movements as attacked them violently with a combination of fire and air. Her attacks were so erratic and violent that Azula and Zuko were forced onto the defensive, dodging and deflecting as many of the attacks while trying to get their own hits in. _

"_Xia! Please, Aang needs your help! Please!"_

_Katara sudden shout caused Xiaodan to freeze, her fists still burning with white fire she had been about to punch at Zuko and Azula, and she turned to look at Katara. The fire dancing around her fists began to die down when she saw the desperate and pleading look on the younger girl's face then she looked down at Aang's unresponsive form clutched in Katara's arms. Xiaodan stepped towards her friend and brother, turning her back on Azula and Aang. _

"_No!"_

_Xiaodan whirled around at Zuko's cry and her eyes widened when she saw the large fireball flying towards her. She swung her arms around in a hurried attempt to create an air shield to protect herself, even though she knew it would be too late. _

_Suddenly, a burst of orange fire flashed in front of Xiaodan, shielding her from Azula's fire blast. Katara, Xiaodan, Zuko, and Azula all turned to stare in surprise as Iroh leapt off a ledge on the chamber's wall, landing in front of the white-haired girl protectively. _

"_You've got to get out of here!" Iroh shouted at Xiaodan and he nodded towards Katara, who was struggling to carry Aang to the waterfall, "I'll hold them off as long as I can!"_

_Xiaodan hesitated a moment, her orange eyes flickering from Iroh to Zuko and Azula, "But, Iroh-"_

"_GO!" _

_Xiaodan backed away from him, her eyes meeting Zuko's and the pain that she had pushed aside flared up inside her again as she looked at them. She swallowed back the tears that gathered in her eyes then she spun around and raced towards Katara, scooping Aang easily into her arms when she reached the dark-haired girl. Iroh quickly began fending off the Dai Li, his nephew, and his niece while the three made their escape._

"_Come on!" Xiaodan cried out as she ran towards the waterfall with Katara on her heels. _

_Xiaodan ran into the water and stood at the base of the waterfall where she crouched then leapt, propelling herself upward with a powerful gust of air as she held Aang tightly in her arms. Katara quickly bended the water around her body and lifted herself up its path, following Xiaodan up to the surface,__ leaving Iroh to hold off Azula, Zuko, and the Dai Li agents…'_

A hand suddenly touched Xiaodan's shoulder and she flinched, her eyes snapping open as the memory faded. She whirled around and held her hands up defensively, fire dancing around her fingertips as it answered her subconscious call.

"Whoa!" Sokka squeaked slightly and he took a step back with his hands raised submissively, "Calm down, Xia, it's just me."

The fire that had instinctively came to her disappeared as Xiaodan let her hands drop to her sides and she looked away from Sokka with an ashamed expression.

"Sorry," The pale-haired duel-bender whispered sincerely without meeting his eyes, "I was miles away."

"No worries. I didn't mean to startle you, I forget how jumpy you are right now." Sokka replied easily as he moved to stand beside his friend, placing a hand on her shoulder again, "You want to talk about it?"

Xiaodan offered him a weak smile, "I'm fine, but thank you, Sokka."

"You sure?" The young Water Tribe warrior asked skeptically then he looked at her knowingly, "You were thinking about the angry jerk again weren't you? What exactly happened with you two anyway?"

The duel-bender flinched and crossed her arms defensively over her chest, her orange eyes focused intently on the churning ocean as the metal Fire Nation ship cut through the water. Sokka winced slightly and rubbed the back of his head when he realized that his blunt words might have caused his white-haired friend distress.

"Okay, that was insensitive, wasn't it?"

"Little bit."

The two teens stood in a not-quite comfortable silence for several moments, Xiaodan staring blankly at the water while Sokka tried to think of something comforting to say to his hurting friend. He knew it was a tough time for her right now, since not only was Aang in a coma recovering from the lightning bolt Azula had shot at him, but she had also discovered she could bend fire, something the monks had kept hidden from her. Unfortunately, he didn't understand just how much Xiaodan had actually cared about Zuko, since the white-haired Airbender had neglected to tell either him, Katara, or Toph about the relationship she had started with the banished prince.

"I thought…" Xiaodan faltered then sighed, her arms crossing over her chest, "I thought he was my friend…And he did change, at least for a short time."

Sokka blinked and looked at Xiaodan in disbelief, but the white-haired girl had tilted her head back and was staring at the night sky.

"I'm sorry." He replied unsurely and she looked over at him with a small, humorless smile, her orange eyes undeniably sad.

"Don't be. I guess it doesn't really matter now, huh?" Xiaodan asked rhetorically then she sighed and started to walk towards the cabins below deck, pressing a kiss to Sokka's cheek as she passed him, "I'm going to check on Aang."

Sokka watched her disappear into the belly of the ship, a small frown on his face. He really wished there was something he could do to make things easier on his friend, but he was at a complete loss as to what to do. Comforting and mothering people was Katara's thing, not his.

* * *

Xiaodan slipped quietly into the room where Aang had been sleeping ever since they had stolen the ship. She kneeled beside the sleeping mat her was laying on, her hands folded in her lap and her head bowed slightly. Sitting beside her brother's bedside and speaking to him had become almost a ritual for her in the time the group had been on the Fire Nation ship. She doubted he could actually hear what she said, but it made her feel better to talk to him and to get things that had been worrying her off her chest, even if it was a one sided conversation.

"This is all my fault." Xiaodan murmured as she stared down at her clasped hands, "I promise Gyatso that I would protect you and I failed him, I failed you. It's all my fault you got hurt, I should have never left your side and I should have never trusted him."

She scoffed and looked off to the side, her brows furrowing in irritation, "I trusted Zuko. Zuko of all people. After everything he's done to you, everything his family has done, I still trusted him and thought he had changed. I _cared_ about him! And I thought he cared about me, but I was wrong, so, so wrong. I was so stupid."

The scent of smoke reached her nose and Xiaodan glanced down at her hands, which she had unconsciously clenched into fists and were smoking faintly. The pale-haired girl inhaled deeply then exhaled, slowly unclenching her fists as the smoke dispersed and she calmed down.

"Gyatso knew. Every time I go to sleep, I have these dreams, well, not dreams really. They're memories, memories that I think I might have suppressed when I was younger." Xiaodan muttered as she lifted up one of her hands and she narrowed her eyes in concentration, watching as a small white flame burst into life in the palm of her hand before sputtering out with a small hiss, "The other Elders knew too. Some of the dreams are strange, like they're someone else's memories. Visions, maybe. I don't _even_ know how it's possible for me to be able to Firebend. I'm an _Airbender_, I mastered all thirty-six tiers of Airbending when I was sixteen for Spirits' sake! And yet, when I saw Azula strike you with that lightning bolt, something in me snapped and it was fire I was bending and not air."

"It's all so confusing and…and painful. It's really, really painful and it seems just be getting worse each day. I just don't know what to do anymore, Aang. I don't know what to do to help you heal. I don't know how to get rid of or even deal with these stupid feelings I _still_ have for Zuko. I don't _even_ know how to fix my own bending! It's like I can feel the two elements fighting each other, battling for control of my mind, my body, even my spirit. My body is always aches and I can feel this burning heat right under my skin that's just waiting to come bursting out then it's like my muscles and nerves are being buffeted by a tornado force wind. It just goes back and forth, a never ending cycle."

Xiaodan rubbed at her face then held her head in her hands as she continued to vent, her voice muffled by her hands, "My mind is in turmoil, it's always clouded, and my thoughts never stop racing even when I'm asleep. All this is taking its toll on my spirit and I think my spirit is actually being torn apart. I just…I just honestly don't know what to do anymore. I'm trying to remain strong, for you and for the others, but it's getting harder and harder."

"I'm tired, Aang, I'm just very tired." The pale-haired duel-bender sighed wearily as she closed her eyes for a moment, her shoulders slumped then she opened her eyes and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Aang's forehead, "I don't know how much more of this I can take, little brother, but I'll try to stay strong for you and our friends while you sleep and heal."

Xiaodan rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her palms then she chuckled tiredly, "It's funny, you've always been the source of my strength and I never realized how much I needed you until I almost lost you. I'm _never_ going to let that happen again, I promise. I'll die before I let something like this happen to you every again."

She smiled tiredly and laid down beside her comatose brother, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest as he slept. She reached out and grasped his hand in hers, holding it gently as her eyes began to droop with the promise of a deep sleep.

"Just wake up soon, alright little brother? If not for me, then for Katara." Xiaodan murmured tiredly then her eyes slid shut completely and darkness claimed her mind, her dream-memories absent for the first time in weeks.

* * *

Molten orange eyes stared blankly at the metal door of the cabin Xiaodan had taken for her own on the commandeered Fire Nation ship, though she rarely actually slept in it, seeing as how sleep had been evading her lately. If she did manage to fall asleep, her forgotten memories and the visions often assaulted her mind, preventing her from actually getting a good night's rest. The only time she actually managed to have a nice, dreamless sleep was when she passed out beside Aang after sitting by his bedside for hours.

The white-haired Airbender was sitting in the middle of the dimly lit room in the lotus-position, the few candles she had lit flickering slightly in the small breeze that blew in from the open window. She had been trying to meditate for the past hour or so, but had been unable to clear her thoughts and had resorted to staring at the closed door as if it could give her the peace of mind she so desperately sought after.

When it became clear that the door was _not_ in fact going to help her find mental peace, Xiaodan sighed, rolling her head slightly on her shoulders to loosen the tension that had tightened the muscles of her neck ever since the fall of Ba Sing Se.

"Alright…One more try…" She mumbled to herself and she closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths to try and center herself.

Sluggishly, her thoughts slowed their frantic rush through her mind before they disappeared completely, the darkness encompassing her mind. Her breathing slowed even more and her muscles relaxed as she finally found the mental peace she had desired and she sank deeper into her own mind. Unbeknownst to her, the candles suddenly flared up and the fire began coalesce into a ball in front of the meditating white-haired girl.

The ball of fire shifted and swirled, changing from a deep reddish-orange to a transparent gold as it began to take the shape of a dragon. Molten orange eyes regarded the oblivious girl as it curled its large body around the curl a few times so its body fit more comfortably in the small cabin, its translucent wings folded tightly against its slender body.

The dragon lowered its large head until it was level with the still unaware Xiaodan's then it stretched one of its whiskers out and touched the center of the circular tattoo in the middle of the white-haired girl's forehead. Her body seemed to jolt and she gasped, her eyes snapping open, but they were glazed and unseeing as they connected with the transparent dragon's identical orbs.

'_Xiaodan gasped and jolted upright, looking around her rapidly as her breaths came in short panicked pants. She leapt to her feet, not feeling brave enough to attempt Airbending herself up in case she accidently Firebended instead, and she looked around at the strangely familiar cavern she was in. Her brow furrowed and she turned a full circle, taking in the strange paintings she could see on one of the walls of cave that the gentle light that the dozens of candles placed systemically on the floor provided. The most prominent cave painting was off two dragons crouched on either side of a figure, flames shooting from the dragons mouths and engulfing the figure in the middle. The ground rumbled and shook slightly beneath her feet, causing Xiaodan's breathing and heart rate to increase as she spun around with her arms raised defensively._

"_**Calm yourself, child. You are safe here."**_

_The white-haired girl whirled around again, yelping and stumbling backwards a moment later when she saw a pair of molten orange eyes staring back at her from a shadowed corner of the cave. Her heart was pounding so hard, it felt like it was about to leap straight out of her chest and she watched with wide eyes as a large head with a narrow, canine-esque snout appeared in the candlelight, followed by a large, slender serpentine body that had four muscular legs attached to it with large wings folded loosely against what was obviously a dragon's back. _

_Xiaodan watched in awe as the dragon from her swamp vision stepped fully out of the shadows, its golden scales catching and reflecting the candlelight, making it appear as if the dragon was on fire. Xiaodan turned warily in a slow circle, following the dragon's movements cautiously as it moved around the cave gracefully. _

"_Where am I?" The white-haired girl asked suspiciously, only lowering her arms the slightest bit, "Who are you?"_

"_**Do not fret, young one, you are in the deepest part of your subconscious." **__The feminine voice of the dragon lilted gently through Xiaodan's mind, __**"I am Sonal."**_

_The white-haired girl blinked in surprise and her brow furrowed in confusion, "My subconscious? I don't understand."_

_Xiaodan watched as the dragon coiled its massive body around her, its head appearing in front of her stunned face. Its orange eyes peered out at with an almost gentle expression, the slit pupils soft and kind._

"_**I am your animal spirit guide." **__The dragon, Sonal said soothingly, __**"You have created an imbalance within yourself, Xiaodan. Your spirit is divided and the two sides are at war with each other."**_

_Xiaodan legs went weak and she fell onto her backside with small thump. She shook her head then rubbed at her face with her hands, keeping them on her face even as she spoke to the dragon again._

"_What do you mean an 'at war with each other?'"_

_Sonal lowered her massive head until her snout was once again level with Xiaodan's covered face, __**"Fire and air are warring for dominance inside you instead of coexisting side-by-side. You need to find the balance between the two elements."**_

"_I don't know how!" Xiaodan suddenly exploded as she dropped her hands from her face to glare into the dragon's orange eyes, "I don't even know how it's even possible for me to be able to bend both elements!"_

"_**You were born into two highly spiritual people, young one." **__Sonal rumbled lowly in reply, __**"You're mother's people are ancient and like her, you were marked by the Masters. And you're father's people, the Air Nomads were an enlightened nation, you know this already."**_

_Xiaodan straightened and dropped her hands in her lap, "You knew my mother and father?"_

"_**Your mother, Yet Kwai, was an old friend of mine." **__Sonal replied calmly, __**"She was a very talented Firebender, even among her people. She fell in love with an Air Nomad named Tengfei with whom she married."**_

_Xiaodan flinched slightly and stared up at the dragon with wide eyes, her mind instantly flashing to the dream-memory she had a few nights ago of the man standing with Monk Gyatso when she was just a child._

"_Tengfei? The man from my dream was my father?!" She demanded sharply, irritation curling inside her stomach at the fact that Gyatso or Tengfei had neglected to inform of her that, "Why didn't they tell me?"_

"_**Yes, child. Tengfei, was your father. He and the other Elders thought it would be best if you were kept unaware of who he was. Gyatso was in favor of informing you of your parentage, but he was outvoted." **__Sonal rumbled lowly, __**"Tengfei remained with your mother and her people for two years, but his left shortly after his daughter was born, his fickle nature making it hard for him to remain in one place for too long. Tengfei did not to his wife's home until three years later when he received news that the mother of his child had passed on to the Spirit World just a year after he'd left. He returned to his wife's people and it was decided by their Chieftain and Tengfei that he would take his daughter to his home in the Southern Air Temple when it was discovered that she could not only Firebend, but Airbend as well."**_

_Xiaodan stared silently at the dragon, her thoughts whirling at the new information she had just been given about her own history, something she didn't not even know about. _

"_I…" She stopped and cleared her throat, "I knew how to Firebend first? My dream-memory showed me that."_

"_**Yes, child. It was not until the Council of Elders decided that it would better if you learned only how to Airbend. They believed it would keep you safe if your ability to bend two elements was kept a secret from the rest of the world. And as time went on, you learned to suppress that side of yourself, thus forgetting you even had the ability."**_

"_If I suppressed my Firebending, why was I able to do it in the Crystal Catacombs?"_

_Sonal gently touched Xiaodan's forehead with her feeler again and Xiaodan saw herself lying unconscious in the middle of the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole, Katara leaning over her as she healed the cut on Xiaodan's head. _

"_**Katara used water from the Spirit Oasis to heal your wound when the Fire Nation Prince knocked you unconscious. When she healed your wound, she also removed the mental block you had placed on yourself as a child, unlocking your ability to Firebend."**_

"_Oh…" Xiaodan muttered and she scratched her head for a moment, "That makes sense. But why didn't I start Firebending sooner?"_

"_**The fire inside you laid dormant and then it reacted to the anger you felt when you saw the Avatar fall. That was the moment you lost the small amount of inner balance you achieved when you suppressed your Firebending. Now both of your elements are warring inside you instead of coexisting with each other."**_

_Xiaodan stared at her hands for a moment then she looked up at the dragon with a determined expression, "How can I find my inner balance then?"_

_Sonal swayed her head from side-to-side slowly and a deep, pleased rumble came from her chest. _

"_**Air is the element of freedom, thus Airbending is the most passive and peaceful of the four bending art. Unlike Airbending, Firebending is about **_**controlling**_** the element rather than directing or moving with the element. Fire is wild and uncontrollable and if left to itself, it will consume everything in its path, but at the same time fire is life, comforting and creative."**_

_The golden dragon paused and blinked slowly as she stared into Xiaodan's eyes, __**"Your inner fire is being fueled by the anger and hurt you feel at the young Fire Nation prince's betrayal. These emotions are causing your bending to conflict with each other. Air is trying to restore peace to your spirit by re-suppressing your fire, but it is fighting back by using the negative emotions to fuel it."**_

"_**You must address the source of your anger and hurt, then let the emotions go. Allow the emotions that fuel your Airbending to fuel your Firebending, only then can you find your true inner balance between the two elements."**_

_Xiaodan pursed her lips and looked down at her hands, turning over the dragon's words in her mind carefully. Inhaling deeply, Xiaodan closed her eyes then she exhaled a few moments later, opening her eyes slowly as she did so. Her orange eyes meeting Sonal's identical orbs with a new understanding._

"_I trusted Zuko. I cared about him and I thought he cared about me too." She said quietly and tears began to brim at the corner of her eyes, "But I was wrong. He betrayed me and he betrayed Iroh."_

_Xiaodan wiped the tears off her cheeks with a small scowl on her face, "But even after all that, I still care about him and I'm just so __**angry**__at him for making me feel this way. But, what's even worse, is that I'm angrier at __**myself**__ for even letting myself feel this way. If I had just left as soon as Iroh was better, I never would have developed feelings for that stupid, glowing jerk and Aang would have never gotten hurt!" _

_Sonal purred quietly and leaned forward, nuzzling her muzzle gently against the side of Xiaodan's face. The white-haired girl threw her arms around the dragon's neck and she sobbed weakly, crying and truly letting her emotions out for first time since Aang had gotten injured in Ba Sing Se._

"_**I understand you are hurt, young one, but if you had not stayed you would not have developed a kinship with Iroh. You would not have experienced what it was like to love and be loved like you did with Prince Zuko." **__Sonal hummed soothingly as she continued to gently nuzzle the sobbing white-haired girl, __**"Use those positive emotions to fuel your Firebending and your Airbending, allowing them to find a balance between each other."**_

_Xiaodan sniffled and pulled away from the dragon, wiping her nose with the back of her hand as she looked at Sonal with a petulant expression on her tear-stained face._

"_We didn't love each other, Sonal. I cared about him, but I doubt he cared about me. How could he have cared when he had been so willing to betray me?"_

"_**He did care, child. You two formed a bond the moment you met, one that developed and strengthened over time, unbeknownst to either of you."**__Sonal replied wisely, __**"It may not have been love, but you both cared deeply for each other and over time, those feelings would have continued to grow stronger."**_

"_It doesn't matter anyway." Xiaodan muttered with a sigh, "He's chosen his side and I've chosen mine."_

"_**Do not be too sure, young one."**__ Sonal rumbled vaguely as she looked at the white-haired girl in knowingly, __**"Now, you have let go enough of your pain and anger that your bending should be somewhat normal again, it is time for you to return. Remember to use positive emotions to fuel both aspects of your bending if you wish to keep your balance. Do not fight your feelings for the young prince, it will only cause dissonance in your spirit and turmoil in your mind."**_

_Xiaodan bowed her head in understanding then she looked up at Sonal curiously, "Will I be able to talk to you again?"_

"_**Of course, child. When you need me I will be there." **__Sonal responded with an almost maternal tone then she lifted one of her feelers and touched it to the tattoo in the middle of Xiaodan's forehead, __**"I will always be with you."**_

Xiaodan gasped and doubled over, bracing her hands against the metal floor of the cabin. She panted heavily as sweat beaded at her brow and tears slipped down her cheeks, her eyes clenched shut.

"Why, Zuko?" She whispered and she slammed her fists against the metal floor, "I cared about you, so why did you leave?"

Her shoulders shook as she continued to sob quietly, letting out all the pain and anger she felt with her tears. Soon the tears slowed to a stop and Xiaodan lifted her head, carefully wiping the wetness from her cheeks without opening her eyes as she took a couple deep, calming breaths. Once her breathing was under control and her heart rate had returned to normal, Xiaodan opened her eyes and smiled slowly as the ache in her body seemed to disappear and her mind calmed. Her spirit settled, the air and fire inside her body no longer at war as they swirled around each other, molding together but never truly mixing.

Xiaodan sighed contentedly and laid down, tucking one hand under her head and closing her eyes, sleeping peacefully for what felt like the first time in years.

* * *

Zuko sat up with a gasp and he looked around him, his heart pounding in his chest as he looked around him. He wiped the sweat from his brow he saw that he was still inside his cabin in the ship that was taking him back home to the Fire Nation. Zuko tossed the blankets from his legs and stood, walking over to a shadowed corner of his cabin where he had left a familiar staff made from a dark, sturdy wood. He held the staff carefully, running his calloused hands over the nearly invisible slots that housed the blue wings of the glider. He had found the glider on the floor of the cavern in the Crystal Catacombs, easily recognizing it as Xiaodan's and he had taken it with him impulsively, a small part of him not wanting to lose the one reminder of the white-haired Airbender he had cared about. Suddenly, his heart clenched in an almost painful manner and he pressed his hand to chest, right above his heart.

"I'm sorry, Xia…"

* * *

**Author's Note: ….Wow…This chapter was a bit of a doozy for me to write. There were so many emotions I wanted to convey to you readers and I hope I succeed. I kinda feel bad for Zuko in this chapter, even though he's only in it very briefly. Also, I decided to just have the dragon as Xia's animal spirit guide, sort of like the spirit guides you see in certain shamanistic cultures. I might have it so Sonal becomes a physical creature, like Appa, but for now she's just a spirit, which I hope makes sense. Anyhooties, lots of stuff going on in this chapter, there's a little bit of Xia's backstory, some memories, and all sorts of good stuff that I hope y'all liked. Now for some name translations; **_**Sonal**_** means 'golden' in Hindi, **_**Yet Kwai **_**means 'beautiful as a rose' in Chinese, and **_**Tengfei **_**means 'soaring high' in Chinese. Anyhooties, next chapter takes place during Season 3 Episode 1: The Awakening and it should be posted soon, so stay tuned! I really, really hope y'all liked this chapter!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are freaking awesome-sauce!**

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**MidnightWolf191: **Haha, that part is hilarious! Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**FoShizzleMySizzle: **Haha, thanks, I'm glad you liked Xia's Firebending in the last chapter! Aw, I'm sorry you cried, but part of me is glad that I was able to get Xia's emotions across to the readers. It's definitely gonna be hard for Zuko to get Xia to trust him again and she's gonna make him work for it. I'm glad you didn't think Xia was a Mary-Sue in the last chapter and I hope she doesn't seem like a Mary-Sue in this one either. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**READandWRITE11: **Aw, I'm sorry if you cried a little bit. I'll admit that I got a little teary-eyed while writing the chapter too. Hmm, Xia is a dual-bender, which is explained a little bit in this chapter. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Cookie Mafia Boss: **I'm glad you think the dragon thing makes sense, I'm not quite sure yet if the dragon will become a physical creature or just remain spiritual, I'm still playing around with the idea. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Xia's Firebending is definitely not gonna be super powerful from now on, at least not until she gets a teacher, plus her Airbending is gonna be slightly on the fritz until she can better find her balance between the two elements. I think I'll keep the relationship between Zuko and Mai canon, just to add a little drama, but Zuko's gonna pick Xia over Mai in the end. Sokka definitely doesn't react to well at first, but he'll get over it. Toph doesn't really care, to her Xia is still Xia and Katara will probably be a little warier, but overall she won't treat Xia any differently. I doubt Sokka's reaction was up to your expectations, but for some reason, he just wasn't working with me. I really like your idea on how to get Xia to meet the Sun Warriors, it would definitely work very well with the story and plus there will be some Zukia bonding moments too. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**LiveOutLoud143: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Ugh, that episode always drives me crazy with how close Zuko is to being a good guy and then he goes and joins his evil sister, who always lies to him. I mean seriously, is he _that_ gullible? Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Becky: **Haha, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and Xia's Firebending! Psh, if Iroh hadn't stepped in when he did, Xia's goose-duck would have been burnt like bad toast. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Shifterofthedark: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you like this chapter!

**Luna WhiteWolf: **Aw, I'm sorry! Don't worry though, Xia's gonna make it a pain in the ass for Zuko to get her to trust him again, so she'll be getting some form of payback for what he did. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Inigo Montoya: **Dragons are awesome, I think it would be awesome to have a Hungarian Horntail or a Hebridean Black dragon. Haha, I hope you like this chapter!

**Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: **Nah, Xia's too stubborn to allow Azula to capture her and if that did happen, I think Xia would have caused Azula to lose her mind even faster. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Writers and Readers: **Thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far! I hope you like this chapter too!

**FallenAshe: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Zuko is an idiot and I'm glad you think Xia isn't a Mary-Sue. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**WaterBendingQueen88: **Oh Xia's definitely not gonna be trusting Zuko anytime soon, but she'll be civil to him…maybe… Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Hestia28: **Haha, thanks! I'm glad you think my story was worth losing one night of sleep. I hope you like this chapter!

**Luna de Rivera: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter so much! I hope you like this chapter too!

**Shanagi985: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Xia won't be Firebending too much, at least not intentionally. There might be some accidental Firebending, but until she gets a teacher, she's gonna be about as good at Firebending as Aang. I don't know if Xia's gonna find someone else to start a relationship with considering that she's gonna be traveling with the GAang until the invasion and then after that Haru, The Duke, and Teo join the group and all of those boys are younger than her. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Sensible One: **Thank you, I'm glad you thought the last chapter was a powerful one. Xia's definitely a laidback and playful character, but she'll go all Mama Grizzly Bear if you hurt someone she cares about.  
You're right, as far as the show tells us, Ran and Shaw are the last dragons left. But my sister and I developed a theory about that. You know how in Legend of Korra, it was discovered that Aang had found some sky bison that managed to escape the Air Nomad Genocide? Well, we figured dragons could have done the same thing. I was actually thinking that maybe a few dragons somehow managed to escape to the Spirit World. I also had the idea that maybe it could be like the movie _Dragonheart: A New Beginning_, where Xia discovers a dragon egg or the Sun Warriors or maybe even Ran and Shaw, give her a dragon egg, which then hatches into Xia's animal guide, if that makes sense. Anyhooties, I still haven't even decided if the dragon will turn into a physical creature or if it will just remain as a spirit guide to Xia. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Anon Guest: **Er, it doesn't really make sense, but alright.

**xRoosiee: **Thanks, I hope you like this chapter!

**May flower: **Aw, thanks, I sent you an email and I made an Instagram account, so I hope to see the picture soon!

**Dunedain Ranger of the North: **Haha, thanks, I really wasn't sure what to call them to be honest. Anyhooties, I'm glad you seem to like the story so far!

**Cat of Flames: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and that you think the dragon as Xia's animal guide is a good idea. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**LovableAmethyst129: **Thank you, I'm glad you think Xia wasn't Mary-Sueish and that you liked the last chapter! I hope you like this chapter too!

**Jazzy: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, it's definitely gonna be interesting when Zuko joins the GAang, Xia's certainly not gonna make it easy for him. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Pickle the Chicken: **Thanks, I hope you like this chapter!

**88dragon06: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last few chapters! I hope you like this chapter too!

**Cloaked Mia: **Thank you, I'm glad you like the story despite generally not liking OC characters. I'm glad you think Xia fits into the story so well, when I started writing it I really didn't want to change the plot too much, since it's still Aang's story, just with an extra character thrown in. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!


	43. Chapter 43: The Awakening

**AN: Chapter 43 takes place during Season 3 Episode 1: The Awakening. Various POVs as usual, so enjoy my lovelies!**

* * *

Xiaodan breathed deeply as she meditated in her room on the commandeered Fire Navy ship, her eyes closed and her body relaxed. The middle of her back suddenly twinged with a phantom pain and she snapped her eyes open and she looked towards the metal door, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"Aang?" She mumbled as she stood and walked slowly towards the door so she could check on her younger brother.

* * *

Aang opened his eyes slowly and looked from side-to-side, groaning quietly as pain shot up his spine. Carefully, he pushed himself up and moved his legs so they were hanging off the side of the sleeping pallet he was on. He groaned again and braced his hands on his knees, hanging his head when his vision began to blur and swirl.

"What happened?" Aang muttered to himself as he put his hand on his bandaged side with another soft groan and he looked around.

His eyes widened and terror filled him when he saw the Fire Nation tapestries hanging on the metal walls of the room he was in and he twisted around to look at the wall behind him.

"Oh no!" Aang gasped when he saw the large tapestry with the Fire Nation insignia on it and he quickly scrambled to his feet, grabbing his staff as he limped towards the metal door of the cabin.

Aang carefully creaked the door open and peered out into the dim hall warily, looking for any Fire Nation soldiers. When he didn't see any, he shuffled out of the room, using his glider as a crutch. He grunted quietly and braced his hand against one of the hall walls when he stumbled, his body weak and fatigued.

Aang leaned heavily against the metal wall of the hallway as he prepared to turn a corner, only to gasp quietly and press his back against the wall when he saw two Fire Nation soldiers loitering in the adjacent hallway.

"You hear something?" One of the guards asked.

Aang furrowed his brow in determination and stepped out into the hallway, using his staff to bend a weak gust of air at the two soldiers then he ran down the hall.

"He's awake!" The guard that spoken before shouted as he and the smaller guard began chasing after Aang.

Aang panted as he struggled to run down the hallway, his hand pressed against the metal wall for support.

"Stop! Wait!"

Aang increased his limping run, glancing worriedly over his shoulder at the guards before he tried to hurry up the stairs that would lead to the upper deck of the ship, using his glider as a crutch. He grunted in pain when his toe caught on the top stair and he crashed forward, his glider falling from his hand and sliding across the deck.

"Momo?" Aang muttered in confusion as he looked from his glider to the lemur, who was being petted by another Fire Nation shoulder while two others stood beside him.

Momo chittered happily and ran towards Aang, jumping onto his shoulder just as the young Airbender managed to get to his feet and the lemur began licking his feet happily.

"Twinkle Toes! That's gotta be you!"

Aang stared in confusion as Katara and Toph, both wearing Fire Nation cloaks rushed over to him from where they had been standing by the ship's railing.

"Aang, you're awake!" Katara exclaimed excitedly as she and Toph came to a stop beside the three other Fire Nation soldiers, while the two that had chased him to the upper deck appeared a moment later.

"Are you sure?" Aang asked warily and he rubbed at his eyes then looked at the seven people standing in front of him, "I feel like I'm dreaming."

Katara embraced him abruptly, "You're not dreaming. You're finally awake."

"Aang!" One of the men dressed as a Fire Nation Firebending guard exclaimed as he stepped forward and hugged Aang, "Good to see you back with the living, buddy!"

"Sokka?" Aang asked in confusion when he heard his friend's voice and his vision began to blur as he swayed slightly.

"Uh-oh, somebody catch him, he's going to-" Toph started to say, cutting herself when Aang collapsed.

* * *

"Aang?" Xiaodan called out quietly as she stepped into the room her brother had been sleeping in, her brow furrowing with worry when she saw it was empty, "Oh dear."

The white-haired girl quickly made her way to the top deck where she could hear some kind of commotion. She quickly ran up the stairs when she saw her brother's bandaged back, her eyes widening when he began to sway slightly.

"Uh-oh, somebody catch him, he's going to-" Xiaodan heard Toph start to say just as Aang collapsed backwards.

Xiaodan caught her brother's limp body with a small grunt of surprise and she stumbled slightly under the sudden deadweight. Xiaodan carefully lowered herself and Aang to the metal floor of the upper deck, holding the unconscious boy in her arms gently.

"Pass out…" Toph finished lamely from where she was standing beside The Duke, Hakoda, Bato, and Pipsqueak.

"Oh my goodness!" Katara gasped and she rushed forward, kneeling beside the two Airbenders with worried eyes while the rest quickly surrounded them as Appa lumbered over to the group with a low rumble.

"Well…That was interesting…" Xiaodan commented wryly, causing Sokka and Toph to snicker quietly.

* * *

Zuko frowned slightly as he leaned against the ship railing and stared out at the moonlit ocean in front of him. He was finally going home after three long years, something he should be happy about, but a part of him rebelled against the emotion.

"Aren't you cold?"

The scarred prince turned his head slightly to glance at Mai as she walked over to him, stopping less than a foot away from him.

"I've got a lot on my mind." Zuko replied flatly as he looked back at the ocean, "It's been so long, over three years since I was home. I wonder what's changed. I wonder how I've changed.

Mai suddenly yawned and she looked at Zuko with a bored expression, "I just asked if you were cold, I didn't ask for your whole life story."

Zuko pursed his lips and turned away from her, his brow furrowing slightly in annoyance. For some reason, Xiaodan's teasing face flashed across his mind and he knew that if he told her what he'd just said to Mai, she would have offered some profound piece of Airbender wisdom then tease him mercilessly for hours. Zuko shook his head slightly to dispel thoughts of the white-haired girl just as Mai stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Stop worrying." The dark-haired girl said with a small smile as she cupped his cheek and turned his face towards her.

She leaned into kiss him, but Zuko recoiled slightly as Xiaodan once again invaded his thoughts, only this time it was the betrayed expression on her face when she saw him standing at his sister's side in the Crystal Catacombs. Mai pulled back and frowned at him, her expression vaguely hurt and confused.

"Zuko?" Mai questioned in confusion, her brow furrowing slightly.

Zuko stared at her for a moment then leaned forward and kissed her. Mai sighed quietly against his lips and cupped his unscarred cheek gently as she kissed him back. She smiled faintly at him after she broke the kiss then she walked away. Zuko bowed his head and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the quilt that was assaulting his conscious and causing his heart to clench painfully inside his chest.

* * *

"Why are we on a Fire Nation ship?" Aang asked as he sat on the floor across from Katara and beside Xiaodan with Toph and Sokka standing behind Katara and a robe was draped over his shoulders, "Why is everyone dressed this way? And why am I the only completely out of it?"

Xiaodan glanced at Katara with a quirked brow before adjusting the robe around Aang's shoulders, pulling it more fully around him so he stayed warm.

"You need to take it easy, okay? You got hurt pretty bad." Katara chided gently as Sokka and Toph left the three alone then she smiled shyly at him, "I like your hair."

"I have hair!?" Aang gasped and he began patting his head then he looked at Xiaodan with wide eyes when he felt the hair on his normally bald head, "How long was I out?!"

"A few weeks." Katara replied softly as Aang clutched at the short brown hair on his head.

Xiaodan smiled and gently removed his hands from his head, "I would have shaved it, but I didn't want to move you around too much while you were healing."

"Everything okay?" Hakoda asked as he walked over to the three teens.

"We're fine, Dad." Katara replied in an annoyed tone as she looked off to the side.

Hakoda looked at his daughter for a moment then turned to Aang with his hand outstretched, "I'm Hakoda, Katara and Sokka's father."

Aang reached out to take the older man's hand, but Katara put her hands on his shoulders and stopped him.

"He knows who you are." Katara muttered drily, "I just called you 'Dad', didn't I?"

"I guess you're right." Hakoda said crestfallenly as he looked at his daughter.

Aang looked at Xiaodan with raised brows, but the white-haired girl merely shrugged one-shoulder. Aang carefully removed Katara hands from his shoulders and held his hand out to Hakoda again while Katara scowled and looked off to the side.

"It's nice to official meet you, Chief Hakoda." Aang said respectfully with a small smile.

"It's an honor to meet you." Hakoda replied with his own smile as he shook the young Airbender's hand firmly, but carefully, "Your sister has told me quite a bit about you."

Aang smiled and glanced over at Xiaodan, who gave him a cheeky smile in return, her molten orange eyes, though tired-looking, gleamed with their usual mischief.

"Great, great, so now you guys have finally met." Katara snapped abruptly before either Aang or Xiaodan could say anything else, "So would you mind giving us a little privacy?"

Hakoda sighed and nodded his head, "Of course."

Aang and Xiaodan watched Hakoda walk away for a moment then. Xiaodan shook her head slightly and pressed a kiss to Aang's cheek as she stood.

"I'm gonna get you something tea." Xiaodan said and Aang nodded, watching as she walked away then he looked over at Katara with a quirked brow.

"Are you mad at your dad or something?" He asked warily as he stared at the annoyed expression on Katara's face as she looked at her dad's back.

"What?" Katara asked in confusion as she looked back at Aang, "Not at all. Why would you say that?"

Aang shrugged and opened his mouth to reply, only to gasp and clutch at his side as pain shot through his body.

"Maybe we should go upstairs." Katara commented and she helped Aang to his feet, "You need a healing session."

Katara helped Aang shuffle back down the stairs and towards his room, helping him sit on the lower table that was in the middle of the room. Katara stood behind him and bending the water from the two bowls that were on the table, then she bended the water onto the ugly scar that Azula's lightning attack had left in the middle of Aang's back.

"Tell me where the pain feels most intense." Katara instructed.

Aang groaned quietly and winced when the water touched a particularly sore spot, "A little higher."

Katara moved her hands a little higher and Aang gasped, his eyes going wide.

'_Aang rose slowly out of the crystal tent he had created around himself, his eyes and arrow tattoos glowing with the power of the Avatar State…'_

"Wow…" Aang muttered as the memory faded from his mind, "You're definitely in the right area there."

"I can feel a lot of energy twisted up around there." Katara commented with a small frown then she began to slowly pull the water away from the scar as an idea came to her, "Let me just is if I can-"

Aang cut her off with a loud gasp of pain and his back arched as agony shot down his spine.

'_Aang in the Avatar State continued to rise above the Dai Li agents, suddenly his mouth dropped open in a silent scream of pain as his back arched and he spasmed as lightning coursed through his body…_

_Katara and Xiaodan's face appeared above him, tears streaming down both of their faces as they looked down on him with a mix of hope and worry…'_

"I went down! I didn't just get hurt, did I? It was worse than that. I was gone!" Aang exclaimed as he was abruptly brought back to reality and he put his hand on his forehead, "But you brought me back."

Katara shrugged slightly and looked to the side with a sad expression, "I just used the spirit water from the North Pole. I don't know what I did exactly."

Aang turned to look at her with a soft expression, "You saved me."

"You need to rest." Katara replied gently as she put a hand on the side of his face, "Xia will be down soon with your tea."

* * *

"Your Princess Azula, clever and beautiful, disguised herself as the enemy and entered the Earth Kingdom's Capital." Li addressed the soldiers below as she and her twin sister stood on the battle tower in the Royal Plaza in the Fire Nation Capital's harbor, "In Ba Sing Se, she found her brother Zuko, and together they faced the Avatar…"

"And the Avatar fell!" Li and Lo chorused together, "And the Earth Kingdom fell!"

"Azula's agents quickly overtook the city." Lo continued loudly, "They went to Ba Sing Se's great walls…"

"And brought them down!" The two women shouted.

"The armies of the Fire Nation surged through the walls and swarmed over Ba Sing Se, securing our victory." Li exclaimed.

'_Several Dai Li agents stood at the top of the Outer Wall then they leapt down, sliding down the wall with their hands and feet pressed against it. When they landed on the ground they quickly lunged forward and slammed their fists against the wall, bringing down several sections and allowing hundreds of Fire Nation soldiers into the once impenetrable city of Ba Sing Se…'_

"Now the heroes have returned home!" Li and Lo shouted together.

"Your princess, Azula…" Lo introduced and the crowd below cheered loudly as the young princess stepped forward, a smirk on her face.

"And after three long years," Li continued to speak, "Your prince has returned…"

"Zuko!" Li and Lo shouted together.

Zuko swallowed imperceptibly and walked forward with a vaguely worried expression on his face, his head slightly bowed. The crowd cheered loudly as he reached the edge of the balcony and he stared down at them for moment then lifted his chin, holding his head up proudly.

* * *

Xiaodan handed a bowl of noodles to Aang then she took a seat between him and Toph, her own bowl in her hand. Katara sat on Aang's other side while Sokka sat on a crate between Bato and Hakoda with Pipsqueak and The Duke standing by Toph, each with their own bowl in their hands.

"After what happened at Ba Sing Se, we had to get you to safety. We flew back to Chameleon Bay where we found my father and the other Water Tribe men." Sokka explained to Aang after taking a sip of his noodles, "The Earth King decided he wanted to travel the world in disguise, so he set off alone."

"Not completely alone." Xiaodan piped in with a faint smile, "Bosco went with him."

"Soon, the bay was overrun by Fire Nation ships. Rather than fight them all, we captured a single ship and made it our disguise." Sokka continued after nodding in Xiaodan's direction then he pointed at the map that was spread out on the floor in front of the group, "Since then we've been traveling west. We crossed through the Serpent's Pass a few days ago. We've seen a few Fire Nation ships, but none have bothered us."

Aang paused in his eating to look at Sokka with furrowed brows, "So what now?"

"We've been working on a modified version of the invasion plan." Hakoda replied, grinning slightly when Sokka and Aang turned to look at him.

"It's Sokka's invasion plan." Katara commented drily, her lips pulled into a small scowl as she glared down at her bowl of noodles.

"Yes, Sokka's plan." Hakoda agreed with a small frown as he regarded his daughter for a moment, "We won't be able to mount a massive invasion without the Earth King's armies, but the solar eclipse will still leave the Fire Nation vulnerable."

"So we're planning a smaller invasion. Just a ragtag team of our friends and allies from around the Earth Kingdom." Sokka said, taking over the explanation from his father and he nodded towards Pipsqueak and The Duke, "We already ran into Pipsqueak and The Duke."

"Good to see you again, Aang." Pipsqueak boomed as he ate his noodles and The Duke nodded in greeting from his spot sitting on the larger boy's shoulder.

Xiaodan smiled faintly at the pair then looked back at Sokka when he began talking again.

"And the best part is, the eclipse isn't even our biggest advantage! We have a secret…" Sokka said excitedly then he leaned forward to whisper to Aang, "You!"

"Me?" Aang asked in confusion and he looked between Sokka and the others.

Xiaodan quickly set her bowl of noodles on the floor and began waving her hands in a silencing motion, but Sokka either didn't notice or was ignoring her.

"Yep," The Water Tribe boy said eagerly, "The whole world thinks you're dead! Isn't that great?"

Xiaodan groaned and slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand, closing her eyes and shaking her head at how tactless Sokka was. Aang stared at Sokka in horrified shock, his eyes wide and his jaw slack.

* * *

"The world thinks I'm dead?" Aang demanded after he had moved over to the side of the boat to look out at the water then he whirled around to face his friends and allies, "How is that good news? That's terrible!"

"No, it's great!" Sokka refuted with a grin as he approached Aang, "It means the Fire Nation won't be hunting us anymore! And even better, they won't be expecting you on the Day of Black Sun!"

"No, no, no, no, no. You have no idea" Aang denied and he clutched at his head, his eyes closing tightly as he shook his head, "This is so messed up."

"Aang, calm down." Xiaodan said soothingly as he walked up to her brother and put her hand on his shoulders, "I kn-"

The sound of a horn blaring suddenly cut Xiaodan off mid-sentence and she, along with the rest of the group turned to look at the approaching Fire Nation ship.

"I'll handle this. The Avatar is back." Aang growled as he shrugged Xiaodan's hand off his shoulder and snapped his glider open, grunting in pain as he tried to shift in position.

"Aang, stop that right now." Xiaodan scolded him sharply as she grabbed his wrists to keep him from moving anymore, "You're going to make your injury worse!"

"Listen to Xia, Aang." Katara pleaded slightly as she approached the two Airbenders, "Remember, they don't know we're not Fire Nation."

Aang scowled at the two girls, sweat glistening on his brow from the pain and from exerting his weakened muscles, but after a moment he put his glider away. Xiaodan stepped forward and put her hands on his shoulders comfortingly, kissing the side of his in sisterly affection.

"Everyone just stay calm." Hakoda instructed as he and Bato put on their stolen Fire Nation helmets, "Bato and I will take care of this."

Pipsqueak and The Duke quickly covered Appa with a tarp as he rested in the large hole that had been opened for the sky bison.

"I hate not being able to do anything…" Aang grumbled in annoyance as he hid out of sight beside Toph, Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka on the stairs that led into the belly of the ship.

"Hopefully, you won't need to." Toph grunted in reply.

"Shhh..." Xiaodan shushed them both and the five teens crouched lower on the stairs as the other ship's captain and two soldiers boarded their ship.

"Commander, why are you off course?" The captain demanded as he came to a stop in front of the disguised Hakoda and Bato, "All Western Fleet ships are supposed to be moving towards Ba Sing Se to support the occupation!"

"Actually, we're from the Eastern Fleet." Hakoda quickly explained, "We have orders to deliver some cargo."

"Ahhh… The Eastern Fleet." The captain mused then he scowled slightly and continued in a vaguely sarcastic tone, "Well, nice of Admiral Chan to let us know he was sending one of his ships our way."

"I'm sure Admiral Chan meant no disrespect, sir." Bato replied calmly.

The other captain huffed in annoyance, "I mean, how hard is it to write a quick note and send a hawk our way?"

"Next time, we'll send two hawks to make sure you get the message." Hakoda replied as he and Bato glanced at each other then he bowed to the other captain and he and Bato walked away.

"Sir…" The guard to the captain's right said lowly, "Admiral Chan has been on leave for two months at Ember Island."

"What? Why doesn't anyone ever tell me anything? Something's not right, they should have known that. I think this is a captured" The captain grumbled and the three turned to walk back to their own ship and he lowered his voice to a whisper, "Just stay quiet until we're safely across the ramp. Then we'll sink this ship."

Toph's sightless eyes widened when she heard the captain and she lunged out of the stairs, pointing at the three Fire Nation men's backs.

"They know!" She shouted then she slammed her hands on the deck, Metalbending the ramp between the ships off and sending the three men into the water.

Katara leapt out of hiding and lifted her arms, Waterbending a large wave between the ships and pushing the enemy ship away while the group's commandeered ship quickly sailed away. Xiaodan leapt onto the top deck and raced forward to stand beside Toph while Sokka ushered Aang into the command tower, much to the younger boy's annoyance as the enemy ship chased after them.

* * *

Zuko sat cross-legged beside the small pond in the garden he and his mother used to sit by and he tossed small pieces of bread into the water, watching quietly as the turtle-ducks quaked happily as they ate the food.

"You seem so downcast. Has Mai gotten to you already?" Azula commented with false warmth as she approached her brother and she smiled slyly as she stood in front of him, "Though actually, Mai has been in strangely good mood lately."

Zuko ignored her goading and stared at the ground, "I haven't seen Dad yet. I haven't seen him in three years, since I was banished."

"So what?"

"So," Zuko growled in annoyance, "I didn't capture the Avatar."

"Who cares? The Avatar's dead…" Azula replied flippantly, though her eyes narrowed when she saw her brother look away, "Unless you think he somehow miraculously survived.

'"_This is water from the spirit oasis at the North Pole." Katara explained as she held up a small vial on a leather string for him to see, "It has special properties so I've been saving it for something important."'_

"No." Zuko growled lowly after the memory faded from his mind and he turned his head to glare at his sister, "There's no way he could have survived."

Azula's eyes narrowed and she glared down at her brother for a moment then she shrugged nonchalantly, "Well, then I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

Zuko pursed his lips and watched as his sister walked away from then he looked back at the water, his thoughts drifting from his father to a pair of familiar molten orange eyes.

* * *

"Fireball!" Xiaodan shouted loudly after the enemy ship launched a fireball at their ship and she leapt forward, thrusting her hands forward and Airbending a funnel of wind at the fireball which knocked it off course.

Toph shifted into an Earthbending stance while The Duke moved to stand behind her and act as he guide.

"Load the Toph!" The blind girl barked and Pipsqueak gave a small roar as he picked up a boulder and dropped it in front of the petite girl.

Toph quickly Earthbended a large chunk of the boulder into a thick disc then she launched it at the other ship, taking out one of their catapults, but a second catapult had already launched another fireball. Toph quickly Earthbended another rock disc then The Duke directed her and she took out the fireball.

In the command tower, Sokka and Aang pressed against the metal walls on either side of the door that led into the tower. A fireball landed in the water just behind the ship and Aang growled, preparing to go and help but Sokka stopped him. Aang scowled and pressed his back against the wall again, banging his head against his staff in frustration.

"Harpoon!" Xiaodan called out when she noticed the other ship preparing to fire a harpoon then she yelped and back-flipped off the railing she had been precariously standing on when the harpoon struck the bottom part of the ship, causing her to briefly loose her balance.

Katara ran towards the white-haired just as the harpoon was violently ripped free of their ship, allowing water to flow into the commandeered ship. Katara moved her arms up then thrusted them downward, breathing a cloud of icy mist into the ocean water below then she quickly froze the water, plugging the hole up.

"I'm gonna give us some cover!" Katara shouted then she bended up a vapor from the ocean water below, creating a fog screen.

A fireball pierced through the fog and flew towards the ship, causing the disguised group to scatter. Xiaodan lunged forward when she saw where the fireball was going to land and she used a blast of air to tackle Pipsqueak out of the way just before the fireball destroyed the rocks he'd been moving for Toph.

* * *

"I can't stand by and do nothing!" Aang growled after the loud explosion and he ran out onto the deck with his staff at the ready.

"Aang, no!" Sokka protested as he ran after the younger boy and he grabbed Aang's staff, "You're still hurt, and you have to stay secret! Just let us handle this!"

"Fine." Aang snapped with a scowl and he snatched his staff back then he walked away.

"Excuse me!" Xiaodan shouted as she suddenly ran past Sokka just as a fireball broke through the fog screen and barreled towards the ship.

Aang watched from inside the command tower's entrance as his sister suddenly leapt forward and thrusted her hands out, his jaw dropping in shock as white fire exploded from the palms of her hands and connected with the approaching fireball, the fireball exploded in a cloud of smoke and embers.

"How in the Spirits did she do _that_?!"

* * *

"Oh monkey-feathers! That _wasn't_ supposed to happen!" Xiaodan shouted in exasperation as she ran over to stand by Toph and The Duke just as the fog cleared, revealing that the other ship was almost even with theirs.

Another fireball was launched at them and it struck the ship, causing a fire to flare up. Katara quickly extinguished the fire with some water she bended from the ocean and Xiaodan used a blast of air to clear away the remaining smoke.

Toph turned her head slightly in Sokka's direction, "How we doing?"

"Things couldn't get much worse." Sokka replied then he whirled around when a familiar green serpent burst out of the water behind him, "The universe just loves proving me wrong, doesn't it?"

"You make it too easy!" Toph shouted matter-of-factly as she shifted into a bending stance beside The Duke and Xiaodan.

Suddenly a fireball struck the serpent's face and it roared in anger before diving back into the water. The group watched as the serpent burst from the water again and wrapped around the other Fire Nation ship, attacking it viciously.

Sokka grinned and threw his hands in the air happily, "Thank you the universe!"

Xiaodan cheered and laughed loudly in relief and glee as she stood beside Sokka at the back of the ship. A hand suddenly wrapped around her arm and Xiaodan turned her head, staring at Aang's annoyed and disbelieving expression.

"Aang? What's wrong?" The white-haired girl asked worriedly as she turned to face her younger brother fully, her hands coming up to rest on his shoulders.

Aang knocked her hands away and glowered faintly at her, "You can Firebend?!"

Xiaodan winced and ducked her head, rubbing at the back of her neck sheepishly as she avoided looking into her younger brother's accusing eyes.

"Oops?" Xiaodan quipped with a nervous chuckle as she looked up at her brother with a weak smile that quickly fell when she saw the mutinous look on his young face and she sighed, "Aang, I can explain."

* * *

"You kissed Zuko?! More than once!?"

Xiaodan lunged at her brother and slapped her hand over his mouth, heat crawling up her neck to her cheeks.

"Shhh!" She hissed at him and she glanced warily at the closed door of his room on the commandeered ship, "Would you keep it down. I haven't exactly told the others about that…"

Aang pulled his sister's hand from his mouth and stared at her incredulous then he whispered furiously, "This is unbelievable! I was worried sick about you the whole time you were with that jerk and you were _kissing _him?! How did that even happen?"

Xiaodan sat back and fidgeted with the hem of her tunic, her face still burning in embarrassment as she avoided looking at her younger brother. After the attack, she and Aang had retreated to his room on the ship where she proceeded to explain everything that had happened, from the moment she left to help Iroh and Zuko in the abandoned town of Tu Zin to the moment he had woken up the previous day while the others steered the ship towards the nearest port to get supplies and make some repairs.

Suddenly she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, a scowl forming on her face, "I just told you that I can not only Airbend but Firebend as well _and_ that I have a dragon, a _dragon_ for Spirits' sake as an animal spirit guide and the thing that shocks you the most is that I kissed Zuko? Seriously?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, your mother was some powerful Firebender descendent from an ancient people and your father was an Airbender and you were marked by some guys called 'The Masters' which you think is the reason you can bend both air and fire in the first place. And there's apparently a dragon spirit trapped inside your head, I got that part." Aang reiterated with dismissive wave of his hand then leaned forward and stared up at his sister with wide eyes, "But that doesn't explain why you were kissing Zuko!"

Xiaodan groaned and flopped back onto the sleeping pallet she and Aang were sitting and she threw her arm over her eyes.

"I don't know how it happened." She mumbled then she sat up abruptly and rubbed her face, "I don't even know when I started to _care_ about him like that. It just…" She held her arms out to the side and shrugged, giving Aang a helpless look, "It just did… But it doesn't really matter anymore anyway. He an enemy now."

Aang stared at the dejected look on his sister's face quietly then he shuffled forward and carefully wrapped his arms around her. Xiaodan slipped her arms around his waist gently, minding his injury as she hugged him back.

"You really cared about him, huh?" Aang asked quietly as he rested his chin on her shoulder, her messy white-hair tickling his cheek slightly.

"I think…I think I loved him…" Xiaodan mumbled back and she pressed her face against Aang's neck, her eyes clenching shut against the tears that had gathered at the corner of her eyes.

Aang tightened his arms around her and pressed a brotherly kiss to the side of her head, soothingly running his hand through her hair when he felt her shoulders beginning to shake slightly. They embraced for some time, Aang comforting his sister just like she used to comfort him when they were younger. It was strange for him, being in the role of comforter when he was so used to Xiaodan being the strong one, but things had changed. He had changed and so had his sister, hopefully their changes were for the better.

Finally, Xiaodan's tears slowed and she pulled away from her brother, wiping the wetness from her cheeks with the back of her hands. Aang shifted so they were sitting side-by-side with their shoulders touching gently.

"When did become the strong one, huh? I thought that was my job." Xiaodan snarked playfully and she lightly nudged his shoulder with her own.

Aang chuckled as carefully wrapped his arm around her waist and rested his head against her shoulder, "I think it's a job we can share from now on, instead of just one of us always being strong."

Xiaodan laughed lightly and rested her head against his, "I'm not sure if I like how grown up you're becoming. I miss the goofy little boy that used to follow me around like a baby turtle-duck."

Aang grinned and squeezed her waist slightly and the two chatted contentedly as they sat side-by-side until Xiaodan forced him to get some rest a few hours later on the grounds that he was still healing and would need all the rest he could get.

Aang smiled and laid down on the sleeping pallet after his sister had left, tucking his hands behind his head as he let his mind wander were it pleased.

* * *

"How much longer until we get to port?" Xiaodan asked as she walked over to stand beside Sokka, who was sitting on the floor of the top deck.

"Not too much longer. We should get by early evening." Sokka replied idly as he looked at the map spread out in front of him then he glanced up at the white-haired girl curiously, "So how'd he take it?"

Xiaodan shrugged and crouched beside him with er elbows resting on her thighs, "Good. I mean he didn't freak out and have a spazz attack, like _some_ people."

She smirked at him and quirked a brow teasingly after she implied the way he had almost had a mental breakdown after she had told him, Katara, and Toph about her dragon spirit guide, Sonal.

"Hey, my reaction was perfect logical and reasonable one!" Sokka retorted with a small huff as he crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, "Dragons, crazy Firebending Airbenders, my life was normal once, you know?"

"Please, Sokka, I doubt you were ever really normal." Xiaodan snorted and she playfully pushed his shoulder then she stood and walked away, laughing loudly as Sokka grumbled playful insults at her retreating back.

* * *

Xiaodan followed Katara, Toph, and Sokka to Aang's room after the ship had arrived at the small port near sunset.

"Hey, Aang!" Toph greeted the younger Airbender exuberantly after Sokka had opened the door, "We're going into town to find some dinner."

Aang sat up then clutched his bandaged stomach when it grumbled, "Well, I am pretty hungry. Maybe dinner's a good idea."

"Here," Sokka said as he stepped forward and held out a red bandana, "Tie this around your head. It will cover your arrow."

"I'm not going out if I can't wear my arrow proudly!" Aang snapped with a scowl and he laid back down with his back to the door.

"Aang, come on." Sokka stated firmly, "Be practical."

"That isn't helping, Sokka." Xiaodan retorted as she stepped around him and sat on edge of the sleeping pallet near Aang's legs.

Sokka opened his mouth to respond, but Katara put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head slightly when he turned to look at her.

"You guys go ahead without us. We'll catch up with you." Katara said calmly and she watched as Sokka and Toph left then she walked over to the bed and sat down beside Xiaodan, placing her hand on Aang's shoulder, "I think I understand why being a secret bothers you so much. You don't want people to think you failed."

"You're right, I don't." Aang muttered in reply and his fists clenched by his head, "But the problem is, I did fail!"

"Aang, that's not true." Katara denied comfortingly.

"You didn't fail, little brother." Xiaodan said soothingly as she put a hand on Aang's knee, "You did everything you could."

Aang sat up abruptly with his back to the two girls, "It is true and I _did_ fail. I was in Ba Sing Se. I was there! But I lost. And now the Earth Kingdom has fallen for good."

"It's not for good." Katara stated in a gentle tone as she stood up too, "Remember, there's still a plan. The invasion!"

"And I hate the invasion plan too!" Aang shouted furiously and he ripped the Fire Nation flag off the wall angrily, "I don't want you or anyone else risking your lives to fix my mistakes. I've always known that I would have to face the Fire Lord. But now I know I need to do it alone."

Xiaodan watched quietly as Katara moved towards her brother with her hand held out comfortingly.

"Aang…"

"Katara please!" Aang snapped pleadingly, "Just go…please…"

Katara hesitated and glanced at Xiaodan, who merely shook her head slightly then she walked back to the door, pausing just before she shut it behind her.

"Is there anything you need?"

"I need to redeem myself." Aang said lowly with his head bowed, "I need my honor back."

Katara bit her lip and glanced at Xiaodan one more time, but the white-haired girl was focused intently on her brother, so the Waterbender quietly closed the door behind her.

"You don't need to redeem yourself."

Aang clenched his hands into fists and hunched his shoulders slightly, "Don't Xia…"

Xiaodan ignored him as she stood and moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around him carefully and resting her chin on the top of his shoulder.

"You're not alone in this Aang," She whispered gently in his ear, "Please don't ever think that you have to do this alone. Zuko made that mistake and I don't want you to make it either. Katara, Sokka, Toph, and I love you and we want to help you, but we can't do that if you don't let us."

Aang bowed his head further and closed his eyes tightly, unwavering in his thoughts. Xiaodan sighed quietly and kissed his temple gently then she let him go and walked to the door.

"We'll be back soon." She stated softly before she left Aang alone in his room, the door shutting quietly behind her.

* * *

Zuko walked through the extravagant hallways of the Royal Palace before coming to a stop in front of the large curtain with the Fire Nation insignia on that shrouded throne room. The scarred prince closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, opening his eyes as he exhaled then he pushed the curtain aside and stepped into the room.

* * *

"I brought you some food! Xia bought some herbs that are supposed to help with healing and she's making a tea from them." Katara said happily as she entered Aang's room only to freeze when she saw the room was empty, "Oh no…"

She dropped the tray and rushed out of the room, heading towards the upper deck.

* * *

Aang gritted his teeth as he flew through the dark sky, the ocean frothing and roiling below him.

* * *

Zuko walked towards the large raised dais where his father was sitting on the ornate covered throne, the constant wall of fire at the front burning brightly. Zuko stopped a few feet away from the dais and kneeled, bowing low to his father.

"You've been away for a long time. I see the weight of your travels has changed you." Fire Lord Ozai stated lowly as he stood and approached Zuko, "You have redeemed yourself, my son."

Zuko lifted his head and looked up at his father, warm golden eyes meeting hard amber.

"Welcome home."

* * *

Aang gritted his teeth as he struggled to fly, a soft gasp leaving him when the pain in his side suddenly flared up and he moved on hand away from his glider's spars and clutched at his side. The glider dipped to the side dangerously and Aang was barely able to correct himself before he crashed into the roiling ocean.

* * *

Tears streamed down Katara's face as she ran towards her father, who was standing near the back of the ship with Bato.

Bato glanced at Katara then Hakoda before starting to walk away, "I'll leave you two alone."

"What's wrong, Katara?" Hakoda asked after his friend had left and he turned to his distressed daughter with a worried expression.

"He left."

"What?"

"Aang." Katara clarified and she clenched her eyes against the tears streaming down her face, "He just took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone, that it's all his responsibility."

"Maybe that's his way of being brave." Hakoda commented gently and Katara glared up at him.

"It's not brave, it's selfish and stupid!" Katara shouted angrily, "We could be helping him and I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him, too? How can he just leave us behind?!"

Hakoda furrowed his brow slightly before he looked at his daughter with an understanding expression, "You're talking about me too, aren't you?"

"How could you leave us, Dad?" Katara demanded and she attempted to wipe her tears away with the palm of her hand, "I mean, I know we had Gran-Gran and she loved us, but we were just so lost without you."

Katara covered her face and turned away, sobbing into her hands sadly. Hakoda frowned sadly and stepped towards his daughter, placing his hand gently on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Katara." He whispered sincerely.

Katara moved her hands from her face and turned around, hugging her father tightly around the waist and pressing her cheek against his chest.

"I understand why you left." Katara said sadly, "I really do, and I know that you had to go, so why do I still feel this way? I'm so sad and angry and hurt!"

"I love you more than anything." Hakoda whispered soothingly as he embraced Katara tightly, "You and your brother are my entire world. I thought about you every day when I was gone and every night when I went to sleep, I would like awake missing you so much it would ache."

* * *

Xiaodan pursed her lips and carefully set the tray of tea she had been carrying down on the floor of Aang's room. Her molten orange eyes burned with frustration as she looked around the empty room then she turned and walked back down the hall, her white hair swaying behind her with each furious step she took.

"When I get my hands on you, Aang, the Fire Lord is gonna be the _least _of your worries." Xiaodan growled under her breath.

* * *

"I am so proud of you, Prince Zuko. I am proud because you and your sister conquered Ba Sing Se." Fire Lord Ozai said with pride as he walked around still kneeling son, "I am proud because when you loyalty was tested by your treacherous uncle, you did the right thing and captured the traitor. I am proudest of all of your most legendary accomplishment. You slayed the Avatar."

Zuko's eyes widened in shock before he schooled his face into a neutral expression as he turned his head slightly to look at his father over his shoulder.

"What did you hear?"

"Azula told me everything." The Fire Lord explained lowly, "She said she was amazed and impressed at your power and ferocity at the moment of truth."

Zuko pursed his lips slightly and looked off to the side, his mind whirling with questions.

* * *

Aang clenched his jaw as he continued struggling to remain in the air, one wing of his glider briefly dipping into the ocean before he managed to level himself again. His eyes widened when he saw the two rows of ships sailing in opposite directions.

"The Blockade." He muttered under his breath before his expression became determined and he inhaled deeply, snapping his glider shut and diving into the water.

Aang propelled himself through water and under the Fire Nation blockade, gasping for breath when he broke the water's surface when he was far enough away. He panted heavily as he tried to get his breath back, using his glider to stay afloat in the water. He rested his chin on the slender wood of his glider before lifting his head up a moment later when he caught sight of a large piece of drift wood floating a few feet away from him.

Aang quickly swam towards the piece of drift wood, grunting quietly as he hung his arms off it. An idea suddenly came to him as he stared at the piece of wood and he smirked. Aang carefully pulled himself onto the piece of wood then he snapped open his glider and turned it onto his side, using the driftwoods and his glider to create a sail-surfer.

A storm raged around him as he sailed through the water and the ocean roiled and tossed him about on the makeshift sail-surfer while the pouring rain made it hard to see. Suddenly, a small, but powerful wave came up underneath him and knocked him off the driftwood, sending him and his glider crashing into the water.

* * *

Zuko threw open the door to Azula's room and narrowed his eyes, "Why'd you do it?"

"You're going to have to be a little more specific." Azula commented coolly without opening her eyes or moving from her bed.

"Why did you tell Father that I was the one who killed the Avatar?" Zuko demanded as he walked further into his sister's room, his hands clenched at his sides.

"Can't this wait until the morning?"

"It. Can't."

"Fine." Azula sighed and she opened her eyes as she sat up in her bed, "You seemed so worried about how Father would treat you because you hadn't captured the Avatar. I figured if I gave you the credit, you'd have nothing to worry about."

"But why?" Zuko asked in confusion.

"Call it a generous gesture." Azula asked smugly as she slipped out of her bed and walked towards her brother, "I wanted to thank you for your help and I was happy to share the glory."

Zuko's eyes narrowed as he regarded his sister, "You're lying."

"If you say so…" Azula replied as she walked past him.

"You have another motive for doing this, I just haven't figured out what it is." Zuko growled as he turned to glare at his sister.

"Please Zuko, what ulterior motive could I have? What could I possibly gain by letting you get all the glory for defeating the Avatar?" Azula asked mockingly as she turned around and approached him, putting her hand on his shoulder, "Unless, somehow, the Avatar was actually alive. All that glory would suddenly turn to shame and foolishness. But you said it yourself, that was impossible."

Zuko scowled at his sister as she laid back on her bed and he turned his back on her, preparing to leave the room, "And why did you tell Father about X-" He faltered slightly then continued, "About the girl that protected him and the Water Tribe girl?"

Azula smiled slyly, "You mean the white-haired Airbender girl who Firebended? The girl that looked at you with such a betrayed and hurt expression when she saw you standing at my side, the one you called out to so desperately when I almost struck her down? You mean that girl?"

Zuko clenched his hands into fists at his sides as he stopped in the doorway, his back to his sister.

"I guess it must have slipped my mind to mention her." Azula continued with a wicked smile as she closed her eyes, "Sleep well, Zuzu."

Zuko swallowed thickly and closed the door behind him, his eyes closing in anguish.

* * *

Aang clutched the piece of driftwood and stretched his arm out, desperately trying to reach his glider as the storm continued to rage around him.

"Ahhh!" Aang screamed as a large wave suddenly crashed over him and the driftwood, sending them both under the water.

He gasped loudly as he resurfaced and he grabbed the driftwood again, leaning his face against the wet surface as rain streamed down his face.

"I'm not gonna make it. I failed." Aang whispered to himself and closed his eyes, snapping them open a moment later when lightning struck the water in front of him, Roku's spirit appearing in the lightning strike, "Roku?"

"You haven't failed, Aang." The spirit of Roku said calmly as he floated above the water in front of Aang.

"But everyone thinks I'm dead again." Aang retorted weakly, "They think I've abandoned them and I'm losing this war. I'm letting the whole world down."

"If anyone is to blame for the state of the world, it is me." Roku commented quietly, "I should have seen this war coming and prevented it. You inherited my problems, and my mistakes. But I believe you are destined to redeem me and save the world."

Aang looked off to the side with an unsure expression, "I don't know."

Moonlight suddenly began shining on Aang and he lifted his head slightly, staring in surprise as Yue' spirit appeared above him.

"You already saved the world." Yue's spirit said softly, "And you'll save the world again, but you can't give up."

The storm that had been raging around him slowed to a complete stop and Roku's spirit disappeared alone with it. Aang watched quietly as Yue's spirit descended towards him until she was floating right above him.

"You're right." Aang agreed with new determination and he looked in the direction he'd been going, "I won't give up."

Aang took a deep breath then lifted on hand, bringing it down a moment later as he Waterbended a wave, using the driftwood as surfboard. Yue lifted her arms up, increasing the size and strength of the wave to help Aang power himself forward then she smiled and ascended back to the moon. After what felt like hours, Aang finally washed up at the base of a volcano on the Crescent Island where Roku's temple once stood. The young boy sprawled out on his back, not bothering to pull himself fully out of the water as he fell asleep.

* * *

Aang woke up slowly when he felt something wet sliding across his face and he blinked in surprise when he saw Momo sitting on his chest. The lemur hopped off him and Aang groaned quietly as he pushed himself into a sitting position just in time to be knocked back down by a horribly worried older sister.

"Oh thank the Spirits!" Xiaodan exclaimed as she pulled away from Aang and held him by the shoulders, her relieved expression becoming furious in seconds, "What were you thinking, Aang!? You could have gotten hurt! Or killed!"

Aang opened his mouth to reply, but Katara suddenly fell to her knees beside him and hugged him tightly.

"You're okay!" The dark-haired Waterbender said happily as she embraced Aang then she looked at Xiaodan with a bright smile, "He's okay, Xia!"

Xiaodan annoyed expression disappeared and was replaced by a relief one and she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around both Aang and Katara.

"He _is_ okay." She muttered, more to reassure herself than anyone else.

Soon Toph and Sokka dropped down beside the other three and hugged them, Momo and Appa happily joining in a moment later. Aang smiled faintly before he remembered what he had to do and he pulled back slightly, prompting the others to do the same.

"I have so much to do."

"I know," Katara replied with a small smile, "But you'll have our help."

"You didn't think you could get out of training just by coming to the Fire Nation, did you?" Toph quipped with a smirk.

"Yeah," Xiaodan agreed with her own smirk as she put her hand gently on her younger brother's head, "And don't think I won't find a way to get you back for scaring the life out of me, _again_."

Aang smiled at the two then he looked at Sokka with a confusion expression, "What about the invasion?"

"We'll join up with my dad and the invasion force the day of the eclipse." Sokka explained with a slight smile as he put his hand on Aang shoulder, "Don't worry."

"Hey! What's…Oh," Toph started when she felt something wash ashore then she turned her head towards Aang with a sheepish expression as she held out his ruined glider, "It's your glider."

"It's okay." Aang said quietly as he took his ruined glider and stood, "If someone saw it, it would give away my identity. It's better for now that no one knows I'm alive."

Xiaodan watched with her friends as Aang leapt to the top of a molten rock before he twirled the staff above his head and impaled it in one of the lava trails in the rock, the glider catching fire as the group left the island on Appa.

* * *

Zuko stood beside his bed and stared at the staff in his hands quietly before he narrowed his eyes. He shifted his hands and held Xiaodan's glider horizontally then he brought his knee up and preparing to break the glider in half. His arms froze when the staff was only inches from his raised knee and he shut his eyes tightly, his jaw clenching and unclenching as his thoughts raged inside his head.

Finally, his shoulders slumped and he lowered his foot back to the ground, holding the staff loosely in one hand.

"Why can't I let you go?" Zuko whispered to himself as he stared at the staff then he sighed and carefully placed it under his bed, hiding it from view.

Zuko then climbed into his bed, his dreams centering around the time he spent with Xiaodan and his uncle and the look on both of their faces when he betrayed them.

* * *

**Author's Note: Wow, this chapter was…wow… Not really sure what to make of it, other than it was a HUGE pain in the ass trying to write Xia into it. Anyhooties, I hope I worked Xia into the episode alright and that everyone was in character especially at the non-canon parts of the chapter. Next chapter takes place during Season 3 Episode 2: The Headband and it should be posted soon, so stay tuned for that. Oh before I forget, do you guys want me to continue this story into the comics after the TV series ends or should I just write an epilogue of my own creation and be done with it? Also, would you guys like me to do a sequel that takes place during Legend of Korra and will center around Zuko and Xia's granddaughter? And if I did do a LoK sequel, who would like to see as the OC's romantic interest? All thoughts and opinions would be much appreciated!**

**PS - On a side note, I'd like to clarify that, no, Xia is not some master Firebender now. At this point her Firebending is involuntary and will suddenly pop up when she least expects it too. She hasn't quite reached the level of emotional balance between her two elements that will allow her to adequately control both of them, so sometimes she'll gonna accidently Firebend when she means to Airbend, though it will definitely not be as powerful as her Airbending. Hope that makes sense!**

**Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are freaking awesome-sauce! **

**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**

**Inigo Montoya: **Haha, I wish my life was like that too. Though if Zuko was real, I'd probably end up either hugging him to death or Gibbs' smacking him constantly. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**MidnightWolf191: **Yeah, I'm not overly fond of angst myself, but it is necessary sometimes. I'm glad you liked the memories in the last chapter and I totally agree with you, I always squeal a little when I picture a little baby/toddler Aang. I don't remember what episode baby Aang is shown is, but it's definitely one of my favorites. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**FoShizzleMySizzle: **Same here, I just kinda want to hug him and at the same time I want to hit him for what he did. Anyhooties, I'm glad you liked the last chapter so much. I have to find a really good picture of Sonal, but I doubt I'll be able to because I've got such a set picture of her in my head and I can't draw her out, because I suck at drawing. XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**LiveOutLoud143: **Hehe, well, Aang found out in this chapter since Xia wasn't going to lie to him about it, but Sokka, Katara, and Toph won't be made aware until later. Ah, Zuko and his decisions, he's gonna make some bad ones and he gonna make some good ones. A hint for one of the bad ones is the relationship he starts with Mai, stupid boy. He's pretty much dating her as a way to forget about Xia, but he does care about Mai, just not as much as he cares about Xia. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Break This Spell666: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, the reunion between Zuko and Xia is definitely gonna be interesting, that's for sure. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Amber Flare Summers: **Here you go! I hope you like this chapter!

**Jazzy: **Nah, for now Sonal is just kind of like a spirit beast, like an incorporeal version of Puu from Yu Yu Hakusho. I'm glad you liked the little bit of Xia's past in the last chapter. Now to answer your questions; No, Aang doesn't remember Xia's Firebending since he was already dead/unconscious when she busted out with the fire. I haven't decided yet, but I don't think Xia is gonna go with Zuko and Aang to the Sun Warriors Civilization, though she will be visiting the Sun Warriors at some point. I'm not sure if I'll have an episode that completely focuses on Zuko trying to regain Xia's trust, since he'll be trying to do that throughout the canon episodes. Anyhooties, I hope that helped clear things up and I hope you like this chapter!

**Molly Grace 16: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked Sokka's reaction and that he tried to comfort her. Oh yeah, Xia's definitely gonna be pushing the overprotective older sibling thing for sometime, but she'll start to let up after a little bit. Haha, actually Xia's mother _was_ part of the Sun Warrior civilization, I'm gonna try to find a way to explain how Xia's father discovered the Sun Warriors and met Xia's mother. Haha, I thought having Zuko keep Xia's glider would be an interesting way for him to keep a small part of her with him, so I'm glad you liked that part. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Mira Severus Sirius Black-Snape: **Haha, it would be pretty funny and yes, Mai is gonna be with Zuko at least until he gets his head out of his ass. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Just2aw3s0me: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I was thinking of having Zuko teach both Aang and Xia. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**BlueEyedDreamer97: **Hehe, I think it's completely normal! I squeal whenever some of my favorite stories on this site are updated. Aw, thanks, it means a lot to know that you like my writing so much and you can totally virtually hug me XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Coloured Red: **Haha, that's understandable. I think in the beginning of their brief relationship, they were both still pretty unsure and awkward around each other, but if Zuko hadn't been an idiot and their relationship had progressed further, he and Xia would have been squabbling like an old married couple in no time. Anyhooties, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one too!

**Hestia28: **Haha, I'm glad you like the last chapter and I hope you like this one too!

**Claret Tho: **Thanks, I'm glad you've liked the past few chapters! Hm… I haven't quite decided what I'm gonna have Xia be doing during the final battle, though I was leaning towards having her with Zuko and Katara facing off with Azula. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**WaterBendingQueen88: **I don't know if Xia's gonna side with the GAang at the Western Air Temple, she might just be the voice of reason along with Toph, but she might not be, he did pretty much break her heart after all. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**MayFlower: **Haha, at this point I think Xia could go both ways when it comes to helping or not helping Zuko when he's trying to join the GAang. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Cookie Mafia Boss: **That's a good idea, though I'm not sure how I'll pull it off. I still haven't quite decided if the dragon will become more than a spirit beast-guide or not, I guess we'll find out. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Lullabiecrick: **Thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far! I hope you like this chapter too!

**Becky: **Haha thanks, I thought that was a clever way to explain how Xia can suddenly start Firebending after not being able to for so long. Ah, there are only two dragons that we _know _of. I always felt that there might have been more dragons that survived Sozin's genocide, since if the sky bison could survive why not the dragons, you know? There at least had to be a few eggs that were never destroyed and have just been in a state of hibernation or something. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Trodle: **Well, Xia was always gonna be able to Firebend, I never really made that part of her character a secret. But I do understand where you're coming from with the dragon thing possibly being a little much. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**88dragon06: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter too much! I hope you like this chapter too!

**XxBookXxWormXx:** Zuko's betrayal takes place during Season2 Episode 20: The Crossroads of Destiny, which is chapter 41 of this story. And yes, Xia's fire is white like Azula's fire is blue. Don't worry, I doubt Xia's gonna find the time to even think about getting into another relationship, much less actually have the desire to have on after what happened with the last one. Zuko joins the GAang in Season 3 Episode 12: The Western Air Temple and it will definitely be interesting to see what Xia does when he shows up. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Luna De Rivera: Thanks, I'm glad you thought the non-canon chapter was good! I'm gonna be trying to throw more of Xia's POV into the chapters from now on, so there should be a pretty decent amount of non-canon. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!**

**Kimikokimono: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Ah, haha, there's actually supposed to be a 'when' between 'that' and 'he', sometimes my brain moves faster than I type so I leave words out of sentences like that, thank you for pointing it out. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!

**Fire Nation Girl: **That's alright, I'm just glad you stuck with the story since the beginning! I'm also really glad that you liked the last chapter and that you thought Xia's emotions were conveyed well. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!


	44. NOT A CHAPTER: Author's Note

**To the Lovely Readers of _Open Your Mind_,**

**Hi guys, I just wanted to let y'all know that I'm gonna be taking a short break from this story because the chapters are flowing the way they should be and I don't want to force anything and have the chapters be crappy. Don't worry though, I am NOT abandoning _Open Your Mind_, just putting it on a temporary hiatus until I can get my mojo back. Until then I'll be focusing on my stories _Always Sunny _and _Ironic, _I'll also be working on the remake of my Walking Dead story as well as the planned Yu Yu Hakusho story that has been in the works. **

**I deeply apologize do you guys, you're all awesome, I absolutely adore all of you and I hope you guys will bear with me until I can find my inspiration for the story again. **

**PS - I'll be answering all of your reviews for the last chapter as soon as my muse nullifies the hiatus and I can post chapter 44. Also, if you can please send me a PM instead of reviewing this author's note because you won't be able to review Chapter 44 when I post it after I delete the author's note. I don't know why FF does that, but it does. **

**-Hugs and kisses,  
****Plague's Vengeance**


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